While the Vatican continues to push against gender identity and other factors of LGBTQ life, the center of Christianity is slowly changing it’s mind in terms of homosexuality.
According to Cruxnow, the Vatican has decided to do away with a comment by Pope Francis that gay children should seek psychiatric help.
The Pope was expected to make this comment while giving an in-flight press conference. On Sunday, the plan was to ask the Pope for his advice to a father whose child came out as gay.
The official transcript of this future conversation included the Pope saying that the father should seek counsel prayer, dialogue, and space. But on top of that, the Pope also wanted to comment that the father’s response really depended on the child’s age when “this turmoil” manifested itself.
“Because it means something if it shows when you are still a child, when there are a lot of things to be done, either with psychiatric help, or to see how things are. While it is something else when it shows 20 years later.”
Later, it appears that the Vatican chose to edit Francis’s remarks and remove the line “either with psychiatric help.”
While it appears that Pope Francis still has misgivings around homosexuality, despite saying earlier this year that God made gay people "like this," it also seems that the Vatican is trying to steer away from commentary on conversion therapy.
We're not quite sure that's a win, but it's at least a small step in a positive direction.
While it is highly unlikely
While it is highly unlikely to convert the beliefs of an archaic institution "overnight," I do believe any progress is a positive thing. Glad to see the Vatican removed the reference to being gay as a mental illness. I think it's actually pretty fantastic that the Vatican has caught up with the 1973 DSM II!