Throughout his nearly 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis has raised countless eyebrows by making ambiguous or even downright unbiblical statements.
In fact, a pattern has developed where the pope says one thing only to later have Vatican officials issue a clarification or correction. At other times, they simply let controversial remarks stand.
Back in 2019, over 1,000 Catholic scholars published an open letter to the College of Bishops that accused Pope Francis of heresy, including the “comprehensive rejection of Catholic teaching on marriage and sexual activity, on the moral law, and on grace and the forgiveness of sins.”
The latest brouhaha regarding the 87-year-old Pontiff involves news the Vatican has approved guidelines in Italy that state Catholic seminaries can no longer reject candidates for identifying as homosexual, so long as the man remains celibate.
Previous Catholic directives, including a policy approved by Pope Benedict in 2005, have stated that men with “deep-rooted” same-sex attraction would be barred from becoming a priest.
In December of 2023, the Vatican opened the door to the “possibility of blessing couples in irregular situations and same-sex couples.”
The pope’s controversial statements have elicited an outcry from more conservative Catholics and Catholic leaders. Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Texas, who was ousted by Pope Francis in 2023, was blunt in his criticism.
“We really simply need to be a united voice saying ‘No, we will not respond to this, we will not incorporate this into the life of the church,’ because we simply must say no,” Strickland said regarding the proposal to bless same-sex relationships. “I ask my brother bishops that we all join with a voice of strength and joy … and say no to this latest document and ask for a clarification of the true teachings of our Catholic faith.”
Throughout the centuries, the church has proclaimed God’s male-female design for marriage and sexual expression, labeling homosexual activity a sin. More recently, some Christians have said it’s acceptable for believers to identify as gay or transgender.
However, Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, rightly points out the problem with Christians – especially potential members of the clergy – embracing a gay identity.
“When you identify as LGBT, that is a particularly important step morally and politically, and it comes with consequences,” he shared on Monday’s The Briefing. “And the Roman Catholic Church has dealt with such an avalanche of controversy and lawsuits and scandals over this issue, you would think that the Pope and the Vatican would be holding a very clear line on this issue.”
Dr. Mohler went on to point out the ongoing “ambiguity” with the pope’s statements and positions. But then Dr. Mohler pivots back to concern and a warning for those of us outside the Catholic Church.
“This is where you also have many evangelicals, squishy leftist evangelicals who don’t want to admit they’re changing their position on the biblical teaching on homosexuality,” he said. “On the other hand, they don’t want to hold that position too firmly either. And so you end up with a lot of people who want to claim evangelical identity, who quite frankly begin sounding like Pope Francis on this issue.”
This would include evangelicals who might not want to talk about the issue, who might not want to try and persuade those locked in its grip of sinfulness and destructiveness to seek healing and help from the Lord. Instead, they might be inclined to punt the topic to other people, maintaining a distance they believe either builds them credibility or at least avoids the entanglement of controversy.
In other words, they’re being theologically squishy.
Squishy evangelicalism can manifest across the entire spectrum of cultural flashpoints ranging from marriage to abortion to religious freedom. Squishy evangelicals often elevate compassion over truth, not realizing that the most compassionate and loving thing you can often do is to be truthful with someone, helping them move away from sin toward wholeness in Christ.
As Christians, we’re to stand firm in the faith and, in the words of Jesus, “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil” (Matthew 5:37).
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