Sergio Rubin
10/21/2020 2:54 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 10/21/2020 2:55 PM
It is a surprise outside the Church, but not inside.
In any case, the surprise is that Pope Francis has been encouraged to
publicly fix his position
despite the fact that the most conservative Catholic sectors - led by the North American sector - do not lower their flags and, more than seven years after the arrival of Jorge Bergoglio to the papacy, they do not stop questioning his open positions.
Because, strictly speaking, Jorge Mario Bergoglio
was always in favor of a civil union between people of the same sex
, of course he never made it explicit to society as he just did in a documentary, but rather remained in the ecclesiastical councils, much less as Dad.
Now, being a great political timekeeper, it is worth wondering
why he does it now
and what reaction it can provoke in the more traditionalists.
The position that Bergoglio had in his country before the equal marriage law is very illustrative.
When the debate on the project in Congress was approaching, the then archbishop of Buenos Aires told the hundred Argentine bishops that it was necessary to be realistic because Néstor Kirchner was going to play hard in favor of its sanction and a closed position could cause the Church a setback of proportions.
The documentary Francesco, directed by the Russian Evgeny Afineevsky, premiered this October 21 at the Rome Film Festival.
There the Pope made his position public.
It was then that Bergoglio proposed
a middle way
between the rejection and acceptance of the project:
the civil union
.
But it was not a mere political strategy, but a
conviction
that, since homosexual couples are a reality, they should have the possibility of accessing a series of benefits such as social work and inheritance, which, precisely, the union civil acknowledges.
His proposal was shipwrecked.
Put to a vote, it was
the only one that Bergoglio lost as cardinal
.
The tough position led by Archbishop Héctor Aguer prevailed.
However, there were last-minute efforts such as that of Senator Liliana Negre de Alonso (PJ-San Luis) to intervene with the civil union that did not prosper.
The Church went for everything and was left with nothing.
It is true that at that time a letter from Bergoglio to some cloistered nuns was revealed in which he harshly criticized equal marriage.
But it must be understood as the need to reassure the most conservative sector and, above all, the Vatican at that time, and stop the pressure from those who wanted to remove him from his post.
A photo taken in 2008 of Jorge Bergoglio on the Buenos Aires subway, when he was a cardinal.
His position within the church was aimed at supporting civil unions between people of the same sex.
(AP)
Bergoglio had already had the first encounter with Mauricio Macri before when he was head of the Buenos Aires government.
Then - according to what they say in the neighborhood of Francisco - Macri had promised to veto a ruling by a city judge who considered unconstitutional that gays cannot marry, but in the end he did not.
Still, Bergoglio was always against same-sex marriage.
And it still is
.
It respects the Catholic doctrine that the institution of marriage is made up of men and women and is open to descent.
But, again, consider that there is a reality that must be addressed.
In his first months as Pope, Francis surprised at the press conference he gave on the flight back from Brazil, when he affirmed when asked: "Who am I to judge a gay man who honestly seeks God".
It seemed a Copernican change to a Church that was homophobic for many.
In truth, Bergoglio always
spiritually accompanied not a few gay men
.
Even, as a pontiff, he received same-sex couples that he had known throughout his life.
Recently, he even met with parents of gay boys and made a call to accept and accompany this reality.
Of course, the questions from the beginning are still valid: Why do you speak now?
Is it a signal to progressives like those in Germany who are pushing for optional celibacy and female priesthood?
Is it a way of saying that your reformism is not exhausted as some believe?
However, the most relevant question is how the more conservative sectors will react.
Is the unity of the Church at risk?
One thing is certain: those who do not want him will love him less and will redouble their efforts to influence the next election in favor of a Pope of their choice.
DD