Liberal Catholics Hope for Shift on Gay Rights, Priests, Sex Abuse
By Patricia Montemurri
"It sounds like to me he'll be open to the dialogue. He seems to have rapport with the people in his diocese," said retired Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, a well-known peace activist. "It seems to be the right direction." Gumbleton said Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio brings to mind the papacy of John XXIII, which ushered in the Second Vatican Council, modernizing Catholic services and promoting the use of more laypeople in parish life. Known for championing liberal causes in the church, Gumbleton has called for greater emphasis on gay rights and helping poor people. He urged state lawmakers to change laws to make it easier for sexual abuse victims to sue the Catholic Church. He also decried the Vatican's crackdown on American nuns, when a Vatican report said many U.S. sisters didn't do enough to promote church positions against abortion and gay marriage. Marlene Ciuffoletti, a small-business owner in Canton who was raised Catholic and would like to be connected again to the church, said she'd like to see the new pope deal swiftly with priests who've molested children and allow priests to marry. "This new pope has to stop the blind obedience and refusal to act when it comes to the molestation of children, period," she wrote in an e-mail. "I hope that the Catholic Church can learn how to reconnect by broadening its thinking. There is a huge void in the Catholic Church between young and old." Ciuffoletti said she does not agree with Pope Francis' more conservative beliefs; he has spoken out against gay marriage -- which was legalized in Argentina in 2010 -- and same-sex couples adopting children. However, she said, "I am glad to hear that he is willing to allow discussion and is open to discussion in order to move forward. That is a start. Actually, that is a huge start in a religion that has long been known for its ability to remain steadfast and budge on nothing." Tim Kalmar, 54, a Sterling Heights retiree who belongs to St. Ephrem Catholic Church in Sterling Heights, is watching to see what changes the new pope brings. "There's a lot of big decisions the pope has to make. He looks like he's got a lot of strength, and that's a positive," said Kalmar. "I would like to see priests get married, whether they come in as a married person or decide to be married after they become a priest," Kalmar said. "That's really big." A deacon at his church is married, and Kalmar said the deacon's talks and counseling reveal particular insights that an unmarried priest might not be able to address. Pope Francis has preached messages of compassion toward poor people and has kissed the feet of AIDS patients. The new pope also has lived a very street-level life, sometimes taking public transportation to his job as archbishop of Buenos Aires. Gumbleton noted Bergoglio's Jesuit training and the choice of the name Francis, which appears to pay homage to St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th-Century saint known for living a life of simplicity and service to poor people. "He lives a Franciscan life, even though he's a Jesuit," said Gumbleton, noting that Bergoglio also is the first Jesuit, a member of the order of the Society of Jesus, to become the leader of the 1 billion-plus Catholic Church.
"He lives in a small apartment ... doesn't have a cook or housekeeper. "St. Francis tried to live the radical gospel view of Jesus -- simplicity, poverty -- and he didn't want a hierarchy. All of those signs look very promising," he said.
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