Pope Francis appointed three prelates known for their pro-LGBT views to the Vatican’s doctrinal office over the weekend.
The Pope appointed Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, and Archbishop Bruno Forte of the Italian diocese of Chieti-Vasto, all outspoken on their pro-gay beliefs.
He announced the appointees coincidentally at the start of “Pride” month.
In October 2023, Pope Francis showed a willingness to consider blessings for same-sex couples, provided they do not conflate with traditional marriage ceremonies.
In a letter penned at the time and made public by the Vatican, the Pope remarked, “Pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or several people, that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage,” according to a report from the National Catholic Reporter (NCR).
This statement from Pope Francis was a response to queries posed by five retired conservative cardinals.
They sought clarity on several pressing topics, which are set to be deliberated upon in the upcoming Synod of Bishops.
The cardinals had aired their concerns earlier on Oct. 2, ahead of the Vatican releasing the Pope’s letter.
While staunchly supporting the church’s foundational belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman intended for procreation, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of pastoral charity.
Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, who adopted a “Who am I to judge?” approach in his pastoral work with homosexuals in Lisbon, has been a public advocate for former sister Maria Teresa Forcades i Vila, notorious for her promotion of “queer theology.” Cardinal Tolentino wrote a preface to one of her books and invited her to speak at the launch of a book of his in 2016.
The second appointment was Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, who has reportedly turned his diocese of Albano into “the Italian capital of the Catholic-gay movement,” annually hosting the Forum of Italian LGBT Christians, which seeks to make the homosexual lifestyle fully accepted inside the Church. Semeraro also wrote the foreword to a book by Father Aristide Fumagalli (dubbed “the Italian version of Fr. James Martin”), which bore the title Possible Love — Homosexual Persons and Christian Morality.
The pope’s third nominee was Archbishop Bruno Forte of the Italian diocese of Chieti-Vasto, the author of sections on homosexuality in the controversial interim document of the first Synod on the Family in 2014 that attempted to open the door to acceptance of homosexual relationships in the Church. Forte made a stir in 2023 by inviting people to pray for those taking part in Gay Pride events in the month of June.
