Columbus LGBTQ+ Catholics optimistic, yet cautious, after pope's declaration on blessings

Joe Gentilini, 75, never thought he’d live to see the Catholic Church openly bless same-sex relationships like the one he has been in with his partner, Leo Radel, for 42 years.

But when Pope Francis announced on Monday that clergy could bless such couples — under certain circumstances — Gentilini said it was at once “a small step and a major step.”

“For many people, this will make a difference in their lives,” said Gentilini, an Upper Arlington resident and lifelong Catholic. “I only wish my mother could have been able to hear this from the pope. It was a very hard struggle for her to accept she had a gay son. … She died 30 years ago.”

Members of Columbus’ Catholic LGBTQ+ community told The Dispatch they are optimistic about Pope Francis’ declaration, which permits same-sex couples to be blessed — but not married — within the church. The Catholic Church still considers homosexual sex a sin, but Francis said that clergy “cannot be judges who only deny, push back and exclude.

“The grace of God works in the lives of those who do not claim to be righteous but who acknowledge themselves humbly as sinners, like everyone else,” he wrote.

LGBTQ+ Catholics in Columbus also said they were concerned about how the declaration will be implemented locally and nationally.

“We have a dichotomy right now — we have a very liberal, accepting, loving pope. … However, we have bishops and cardinals, especially in this country, who are more conservative,” said Katie Coplin, 43, a Catholic Upper Arlington resident who is married to a man but identifies as bisexual.

The Diocese of Columbus declined to answer The Dispatch’s questions about whether Bishop Earl Fernandes would personally be willing to bless same-sex couples, and how he would handle clergy who refuse to conduct the blessings.

Fernandes has argued in the past against allowing gay men to become priests, and faced criticism from the LGBTQ+ community last year amidst a leadership change at the St. Thomas More Newman Center, which was seen as a gay-friendly church.

In response to Francis’ recent declaration, the diocese provided a prepared statement that said, in part: “The comprehensive document (Fiducia Supplicans) speaks for itself and should be read thoroughly. … Regarding Church doctrine, The Diocese of Columbus would refer to the USCCB (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) statement which reads in part, ‘The Church's teaching on marriage has not changed, and this declaration affirms that, while also making an effort to accompany people through the imparting of pastoral blessings because each of us needs God’s healing love and mercy in our lives.’”

An ‘earthquake’ within Catholicism

Francis’ decision appears to bring church policy into closer alignment with the opinion of the American Catholic laity. Gallup polls have shown consistent majority support for gay marriage among U.S. Catholics since 2011 — with around 69% supporting it in surveys between 2016 and 2020.

Mark Matson, a Worthington resident and former national president of Dignity USA, a Catholic LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said Francis’ decision was “an earthquake.”

“The support of the church helps a couple through difficult times, and we've not had that benefit,” said Matson. “I was impressed when (Francis) said that when people ask for a blessing, an exhaustive moral analysis should not be a precondition — which I think is what Jesus would say.”

Ron Guisinger, 67, a Catholic man from Grandview Heights who has been with his husband for 25 years, said the speed of the pope's decision surprised him.

“As an institution, the church moves incredibly slow,” he said.

How will local diocese respond

While Guisinger was happy about Francis’ declaration, he also said that for some, it was too little, too late.

“(The new declaration) certainly is not equal. … A heterosexual couple can be actually married in the church,” Guisinger said. “But the question is, how are our very conservative bishop and priests in the Columbus Diocese going to respond?”

Before Fernandes was named bishop in 2022, he wrote in a 2011 paper that men with “homosexual tendencies” lack the emotional “maturity” to become priests. In a 2014 Catholic Telegraph article, he reiterated the church’s stance that “homosexual behavior” is “sinful.”

Soon after becoming head of the Columbus Diocese — which includes around 100 parishes spread across 23 counties — Fernandes replaced the leadership of the  St. Thomas More Newman Center in Columbus’ University District. The center had been led by Paulist Fathers — an order of priests generally seen as friendly to the LGBTQ+ community. The Paulist Fathers claimed that they were forced out, but the diocese said at the time that the Paulists refused to negotiate with the diocese.

The episode angered many parishioners, including Matson, who said he subsequently left Catholicism.

LGBTQ+ Catholics told The Dispatch they hope to see the church perform gay marriages someday — though they acknowledged this could be a long time coming.

Still, Gentilini said that the church has come a long way, and he plans to stay within the fold.

“My vocation is to be a gay Catholic man, in relationship with Leo and with God — within the institutional church. And if I leave the church, then I lose the witness that I can have, and do have, to the goodness of our lives,” he said.

Peter Gill covers immigration, New American communities and religion for the Dispatch in partnership with Report for America. You can support work like his with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America at:bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.

pgill@dispatch.com

@pitaarji

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus LGBTQ+ Catholics cautious about pope's blessing declaration