Over the past year, Pope Francis has repeatedly made the news for his less-than-Christian comments towards the LGBTQ+ community. George White, a transgender teacher, is seeking to change the Pope’s attitude by promoting inclusion over tolerance, and his meeting at the Vatican carried some promise of a better future in the Catholic Church.
White, a religious education teacher at St Paul’s Catholic School in Evington, Leicestershire, spoke to PinkNews about his once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the Pope. “As a teacher and someone who’s not always accepted, I think this meeting with the Pope suggests that my place is just as valid here as anyone else’s,” he said. “This may also allow other trans or LGBTQ+ people to feel their place in the Church is truly recognized.”
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It’s little wonder why any queer person would feel their place in the church is not recognized as valid. Despite making some movements towards queer acceptance—like permitting the blessing of same-sex couples in the church—the Pope repeatedly made the news for using the (Italian) f-slur in reference to the gay community behind closed doors.
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But the Pope has met with, broken bread with, and even donated money to trans people before. While he did so as acts of charitable outreach, White hoped to reach the Pope with his own message of acceptance.
During the meeting, the Pope delivered an address and moved through the crowd, greeting attendees. When it was White’s turn, he handed the Pope a copy of Trans Life and the Catholic Church Today along with a group of letters written by other trans men.
“He looked at me and said: ‘Thank you,’ shook my hand again, and said, ‘God bless you,’” White recalled.
Looking back on the meeting, White gave his interpretation of the Pope’s views. “In the Catholic Church, Pope Francis distinguishes between what he calls gender ideology and trans people,” White said. “He has described the former as problematic for the Church, yet insists that trans people must be accepted. Sharing these stories helps make that possible.”
While there is hope that this (or a future) Pope can be swayed on queer issues, White was realistic on the long road ahead. “There’s still work to do in terms of balance when it comes to the Church aligning on everything,” he said.
But recent progress, like the Synod on Synodality which advocated for putting more women in roles of leadership, has laid the foundation to “make inclusion and welcome much easier.”
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