ROME – Pope Francis has appointed pro-LGBT Father Roberto Pasolini as preacher of the Holy See, causing new consternation among Catholics.
Father Pasolini, a 53-year-old Capuchin monk from Milan, exchange Cardinal Raniello Cantalamessa was appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and has served as the papal preacher for 44 years.
In his new role, Father Pasolini will “deliver the Advent and Lenten sermons to the Pope and members of the Holy See.”
Since the priest's elevation, his critics have pointed out problematic statements. captured In his video, Pasolini encouraged his congregation to imagine same-sex relationships between Biblical figures, even suggesting that Jesus and his disciples may have engaged in the same act.
Last February, he told a group gathered at a Capuchin monastery in the northern Italian city of Varese that they could not simply say there was no “form of approval” for same-sex relationships in the Bible.
Regarding the friendship between Jonathan and King David, the priest said that although there is no explicit mention of homosexual relationships in the biblical text, “we can imagine it, we can think about it, we want to think about it.” You can think about it, but it's not written.”
“Certainly there was a homosexual narrative back then, and there's nothing stopping us from thinking about it or imagining it,” he said.
He went on to suggest that homosexuality was a plausible reason for concern. expressed In the Gospel, a Roman centurion urges Jesus to heal his sick servant.
Mr. Pasolini said, “Jesus never spoke better of anyone than this man did,'' and asserted, “I have never seen such faith in Israel.''
The priest argued that a sick servant meant nothing to a Roman centurion, so when the centurion went to such lengths to heal the servant, the question arose: Was he working well? Perhaps he worked more than others? We might think so, or maybe, as some say, there was a relationship between them. ”
“It's not unseemly to think that way, but if you do, let's think about it for a moment. Who did Jesus admire most?'' This means you may need to reconsider all your opinions.
There are other possible episodes, which could lead to the hypothesis that, for example, there was a homosexual relationship between Jesus and the disciples, or between Jesus and Lazarus, within the circle of the disciples, he said. said. The expression “Jesus loved Lazarus'' is a very strong expression. ”
The priest concluded that the most plausible reason why the Bible seems to condemn homosexual acts is that people at the time did not understand homosexual orientation, and therefore homosexual acts seemed contrary to nature. said.
“It must be said that the Bible does not even posit a world in which non-heterosexual tendencies exist,” he said. “In the culture of the time, the only tendencies that existed in the eyes of writers and the people they saw were heterosexual ones.”
“This is why homosexual acts were so strongly condemned, because they were acts that were immediately classified as non-existent,” he said.
The Pope's appointment of Father Pasolini to his new role as the Vatican's official preacher comes largely on the heels of his announcement in October that Father Timothy Radcliffe, a prominent gay rights advocate, would be named cardinal.
Father Radcliffe, a former senior Dominican general, has encouraged Catholics to “accompany” gay people. That means “watching 'Brokeback Mountain,' reading gay novels, living with gay friends and listening to their stories.” Listen to the Lord. ”
He also argued that gay sex is “eucharistic” and can be an expression of Christ's gift of self in Holy Communion.
We cannot begin with the question of whether homosexual acts are allowed or prohibited, he exclaimed. “We have to ask what that means and to what extent it is Eucharistic.”
“Certainly, it's generous, it's vulnerable, it's gentle, it's reciprocal, it's also nonviolent. So in many ways, I think it can express the gift of Christ's self,” he said. Said.
“You can also see how it can express mutual loyalty, a contractual relationship that binds two people to each other forever,” he added.
