Judge Not

Pope Francis's recent comments about gays and women in the Church gave some Catholics hope for optimism, though no one should expect to see any big changes soon.  But it was still encouraging for Francis to suggest that he had no right to judge any homosexuals who sought God in their own lives, saying he won't in fact judge priests for their sexual orientation and making it clear that he wants to accept and respect gays while not necessarily condoning the gay lifestyle.

In addition, Francis underscored the role of women in the Church as being essential to its well-being, citing the importance of the Virgin Mary over all of the Apostles and also noting that just because women can't be priests doesn't mean they can't contribute to a greater understanding of the faith.  In fact, in promoting their role as mothers or as laywomen who live their faith through good works, the Church sees itself as upholding the dignity of women.

And given the lack of dignity among the Catholic clergy, why would women want to be priests anyway?

I kid, of course, but Pope Francis's efforts to make gays feel included in the faith and uphold a special place in the Church is the first step of a thousand-mile journey . . . or maybe a thousand-year journey.  The Vatican has never really thought out the role of homosexuals in its ranks, and Francis has admitted that the Church does not "yet have a truly deep theology of women."  It will take time for the Roman Catholic Church to sort all of that out.  It may one day lead to a scenario of female priests officiating at gay weddings, and may even one day lead to the installation of a Vatican matriarch - a Holy Mother, a "mome."  But that won't happen for decades, or even centuries.  If and when it does though, future historians will point to this time in the Church as the beginning of that process.