Pope Francis Does Not Support Gay Marriage

There has been much confusion in the last 48 hours over a letter composed by Pope Francis that the Vatican released on Monday. The letter is dated September 25. Writing in Spanish, Pope Francis responded to five main concerns put forth by several high-ranking churchmen this summer. On July 10, in a letter (in Italian) to Pope Francis, five conservative cardinals had outlined five dubia (“doubts”) regarding the pope’s teachings and methods. They explained their skepticism about his teachings on such topics as the reinterpretation of divine revelation, the proper authority of synods, and the possibility of conferring of priestly ordination on women. The dubium that popular outlets have given the most attention to is undeniably the second, the one regarding the “practice of blessing unions with people of the same sex.”

I have found that the internet is brimming with unfaithful summaries and pearl-clutching in response to what Pope Francis wrote, so the goal of this article is to provide some clarity on the topic. (Pope Francis’s original letter is available at the Vatican’s website — an unofficial English translation, from which I will be quoting, is available here.)

About the Author

Kayla Bartsch

Kayla Bartsch is a former William F. Buckley Jr. Fellow in Political Journalism at National Review.

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There has been much confusion in the last 48 hours over a letter composed by Pope Francis that the Vatican released on Monday. The letter is dated September 25. Writing in Spanish, Pope Francis responded to five main concerns put forth by several high-ranking churchmen this summer. On July 10, in a letter (in Italian) to Pope Francis, five conservative cardinals had outlined five dubia (“doubts”) regarding the pope’s teachings and methods. They explained their skepticism about his teachings on such topics as the reinterpretation of divine revelation, the proper authority of synods, and the possibility of conferring of priestly ordination on women. The dubium that popular outlets have given the most attention to is undeniably the second, the one regarding the “practice of blessing unions with people of the same sex.”

I have found that the internet is brimming with unfaithful summaries and pearl-clutching in response to what Pope Francis wrote, so the goal of this article is to provide some clarity on the topic. (Pope Francis’s original letter is available at the Vatican’s website — an unofficial English translation, from which I will be quoting, is available here.)