POPE Francis has always been a radical in the Roman Catholic Church. He has kicked off a debate which is indicative of his enlightened thinking. The debate is on whether his Church might consider more tolerant views on homosexuals, divorced couples and men and women living in sin and having illegitimate children. While Pope Francis takes a positive line, Mother Teresa would have probably turned in her grave at such deliberations. The ecclesiastical synod where a paper started the debate has more or less prompted it to make fundamental changes at least at the pastoral level. The Pope speaks as a representative of the Supreme God and so his initiative is encouraging. Progress is being made towards pulling down discriminatory barriers and the beginnings of the debate raise hope. Of course, a large number of bishops are opposed to the changes. Eminent members of the Indian Catholic community have also aired their views, especially on a liberal stand with regard to homosexuality. India is still allergic to the use of the word ‘gay’. Its parliament has not ratified the Supreme Court’s ruling, which legalized homosexuality in the country.
The core of Roman Catholic ethic is love, charity and compassion. The paper read out at the synod in Rome advocates that homosexuals should be included in the social mainstream as they can contribute significantly to the promotion of the Christian community. Nobody can look down upon such geniuses as Marcel Proust and Andre Gide. Antipathy to homosexuals in the 21st century seems an absurdity. The same cannot perhaps be said about pointless gay marriages. Divorce is of course sometimes unavoidable though it goes against the vow of ’till death do us part’. Living in sin can decidedly impair the moral fabric of society.
