Proving that reactionary populism is a cultural universal, and not unique to American politics, the Vatican is looking square in the face of internal opposition that is reaching crisis levels. While everyone publicly agrees that abuse is wrong, and the Church was wrong to cover it up, the real debate within the church falls along a fault line about something other than abuse itself: gayness.
On the one hand are the "liberals," often Jesuits like the Pope himself and Fr. James Martin, an outspoken supporter of LGBT Catholics (and also a great follow on Twitter), who call for a wide range of reforms in the church, ranging from full acceptance of homosexuality to a more moderate change in approach, recognizing that homosexuality is not a disease, and that gay individuals can be full members of the Christian community. Although this factions supports a wide range of responses to gay Catholics, they all agree that the abuse scandal is not about gayness, but power and corruption.
On the other hand, are the reactionary "conservatives," many of whom are also conspiracy theorists. They say that the abuse scandal is about gayness, that gays are inherently more likely to abuse, that the all-male nature of seminary is a temptation to strong for homosexuals, and that there is a so-called "Lavendar Mafia" of gay priests that protect each other, rotting the church from within with their deplorable gayness. One of those reactionaries recently claimed that the Pope himself knew about McCarrick years ago, and did nothing, and has called on him to resign.
Although the Pope isn't as radical as the likes of Fr. Martin, he seems to side with the liberals on this issue (today, after his visit to Ireland, he responded to a reporter's hypothetical about parents learning their child was gay by stressing that they should respond with love and understanding, not condemnation). But the grumbling of what is essentially the Catholic Tea Party is getting louder. It will be interesting to see how the Papacy weathers this storm.
On the one hand are the "liberals," often Jesuits like the Pope himself and Fr. James Martin, an outspoken supporter of LGBT Catholics (and also a great follow on Twitter), who call for a wide range of reforms in the church, ranging from full acceptance of homosexuality to a more moderate change in approach, recognizing that homosexuality is not a disease, and that gay individuals can be full members of the Christian community. Although this factions supports a wide range of responses to gay Catholics, they all agree that the abuse scandal is not about gayness, but power and corruption.
On the other hand, are the reactionary "conservatives," many of whom are also conspiracy theorists. They say that the abuse scandal is about gayness, that gays are inherently more likely to abuse, that the all-male nature of seminary is a temptation to strong for homosexuals, and that there is a so-called "Lavendar Mafia" of gay priests that protect each other, rotting the church from within with their deplorable gayness. One of those reactionaries recently claimed that the Pope himself knew about McCarrick years ago, and did nothing, and has called on him to resign.
Although the Pope isn't as radical as the likes of Fr. Martin, he seems to side with the liberals on this issue (today, after his visit to Ireland, he responded to a reporter's hypothetical about parents learning their child was gay by stressing that they should respond with love and understanding, not condemnation). But the grumbling of what is essentially the Catholic Tea Party is getting louder. It will be interesting to see how the Papacy weathers this storm.
