The Church Owes Reparations to the LGBTQ Community
By: Walter Rhein
Tags: Homophobia, Pope Francis, Gay, Justice, Religion

The Church Owes Reparations to the LGBTQ Community

The Pope finally admitted they were wrong

Photo by Jasmin Sessler on Unsplash

Yesterday I glanced up at the television and noticed a message scrolling along the bottom of my television:

Pope Francis has declared support for civil unions for same-sex couples for the first time, according to the Catholic News Agency — CNN

My first response was to celebrate. In the midst of the most divisive election in US history, any news that a powerful organization is going to stop pressuring an oppressed group is highly welcome. However, after I thought about it for a few more minutes, I determined that my overriding response was rage.

Thanks, Catholic Church for declaring you’ll be decent going forward, however, this declaration does not absolve you of the sins of your past.

Discrimination

Let’s just be clear about one thing, the Catholic Church has been horrible to the LGBTQ community. They’ve been a bunch of prejudicial, discriminatory bigots. I’ve written on this before:

It’s not like if the Pope comes forward and says “civil union is okay for homosexuals,” all their actions are erased. To be honest, I’m a little annoyed that the Pope used the term “civil union.” Why couldn’t he just say “marriage?”

Don’t take half measures. Embrace the just course of action fully! Are you worried you’ll “offend” your followers? Are you worried there will be consequences? Well, whatever sacrifice you’ll be asked to make will be less than what Christ endured, so shut up and deal with it.

They’ve subjected people to deplorable treatment

I live in a backward, rural community where people unabashedly hang their homophobia on their sleeves. This thinking is ingrained in their thought process, and it indisputably has its roots in the church.

When an institution of major spiritual influence promotes a prejudicial belief, there are horrible repercussions. The Church’s stance has permeated every aspect of our society. The Church’s bigoted philosophy has begotten laws and encouraged deplorable behaviors from devout followers.

The Church has never directly come out and told its followers to tie a human being to a fence and pistol whip him to death, but such actions have transpired directly as a consequence of the Church’s hate teachings.

The beginning of a long journey

The Pope cannot erase years of bigotry with a single statement. Even now, the ramifications of his words are trickling through the religious community. It’s not as if the American religious community is going to go to bed and wake up in the morning fully ready to embrace the LGBTQ community.

Our local news station interviewed a priest who had already started to question the new position. Many religious leaders have, at best, fallen into a holding pattern. They’re adopting a “wait and see” attitude to determine if this declaration is going to take root or not.

Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it — Pope Francis.

That’s a good start. Now admit that you were the one to throw them out. You were the one to make them miserable. You and your organization and your flock of hate spreaders.

If you are willing to say they “deserve a civil union” on Wednesday, you have to show a commitment to saying it again on Thursday, and Friday, and Saturday, and every day of the week in perpetuity. You have to show a commitment to punishing local pastors who refuse to take up the message. You have to pressure politicians who insist on persisting with their hate rhetoric and anti-LGBTQ agenda.

Less than the right thing isn’t enough.

Reparations

I have trouble reading the words of the Pope and believing he’s sincere. The hatred spread by the church has been a festering sore on society for as long as I can remember. They’re never at the forefront of bringing about humanitarian change. Instead, they always trickle along at the back end, long after everyone else has perceived and adopted a moral course of action.

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” — Matthew 19:21

It has always bothered me that the Church claims to be anti-wealth. It bothers me that they claim to stand for assistance to the poor, yet they sit on sufficient wealth to eradicate world poverty and they do nothing more than dole out a few pennies.

Are you sincere? Prove it!

If the Church made a commitment to paying reparations for the LGBTQ community, it wouldn’t erase the pain and suffering they’ve created. However, the Church has indisputably contributed to the oppression of this group, and they could help to make amends by providing some of the funds necessary to mount legal challenges to many of the deplorable laws that remain in place in our society.

Talk is cheap. Do the work.

It’s not news to say, “Writer picks up pen.”

It’s not news to say, “Artist picks up brush.”

Great, you’ve made a declaration to the right course of action, now let’s see you actually do something.

It’s very likely that there will be a conservative-led challenge to same-sex marriage in the United States in short order. If the Church is sincere about this new trajectory, it should be resolved to ensure this challenge is halted before it ever has any chance to gain momentum.

The Church should beg for forgiveness

There should never be any celebration for people simply because they finally come around to doing the right thing. You’re supposed to treat people with decency! You’re supposed to do what you can to stop hatred!

The Church has been spreading hate rhetoric for years. It was wrong and it has done terrible harm and inflicted unimaginable pain.

Make no mistake that individuals within the religious community are already drawing up plans to fight the Pope’s decree tooth and nail. They’ve forged a commitment to unreasonable hatred, and a few words are unlikely to turn them from that course. It’s time decent people stood up and held religious leaders accountable. The Bible expresses a message of love. Often, I don’t think the religious people I know have ever taken the time to read it.

Saying you were wrong is a good start, but make no mistake, the journey has just started and we can’t see the endpoint from where we’re standing now.