A Closer Look At  same-sex Marriage and The Pope

By Burnett Munthali

Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church has said homosexuality should not be criminalized and supported civil unions. And he recently made it clear that transgender people can be baptized, serve as godparents and be witnesses at church weddings.

Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. As of 2023, marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 35 countries, with a total population of 1.4 billion people (17% of the world’s population).

Same-sex marriage is marriage between partners of the same sex and/or gender identity. For example, a marriage between two men or two women. In 2003, Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriages, paving the way for many other states to consider legalizing same-sex marriage.

Types of relationships vary from one couple to the next. As in heterosexual relationships, some same-sex relationships are meant to be temporary, casual, or anonymous sex. Other relationships are more permanent, being in a committed relationship with one another and not having sexual relationships with anyone else.

“Pope Francis is talking about a pastoral blessing that a priest may give to anyone who is seeking God’s help, not a blessing of a marriage itself. The Church’s teaching on marriage remains the same, that it is between one man and one woman.”

There are plenty of Popes in history who, despite their vow of celibacy, have broken this rule. These include popes who were married, had long-term partners, lovers, and even a few that had children. Some Popes in history have even been known to be the son of previous Popes, who had been moulded into taking over.

According to Jason Berry of The New York Times, “The requirement of celibacy is not dogma; it is an ecclesiastical law that was adopted in the Middle Ages because Rome was worried that clerics’ children would inherit church property and create dynasties.”

Contrary to popular belief, Pope Francis does not have a wife or a biological child. As a priest, he took a vow of celibacy, which means he committed to abstaining from marriage and having children in order to fully dedicate himself to the service of the Church and its followers.

Has a Pope ever had a child? A number of them had offspring. Pope Paul III Farnese had 4 illegitimate children and made his illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese the first duke of Parma. There are various classifications for those who were sexually active during their lives.

While six popes in total had been married at some point, Adrian II was likely the only one married during his papacy, while the other appear to have been widowed by the time they became popes.

Pope John Paul II had an intimate 32-year relationship with a Polish philosopher who is believed to have once declared her love to him while he was still a cardinal, according to letters discovered by the BBC.

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