On Wednesday, Roman Catholics cheered as the world welcomed newly elected pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a 76-year-old Argentinean Cardinal who is now referred to as Pope Francis.
The new pope marked a historic turning point for the Catholic Church as he became the first non-European pope to be selected since the 8th century in addition to the first leader of the papacy from one of the American continents who is celebrated for his humble lifestyle and commitment to the poor. Rather than being chauffeured in a limo, Francis prefers to take public transportation. He also cooks his own meals and has visited an AIDs hospice to wash the feet of victims of the deadly virus in 2001.
Yet, despite the fresh dynamic that Francis offers as a leader, critics point out that he maintains traditional conservative religious viewpoints on homosexuality. He has described same-sex marriage as the work of the devil and a "destructive attack on God's plan." He also stands against gay adoption, calling it a form of discrimination against children.
According to the National Catholic Register, in 2010, Francis supported an anti-same-sex marriage and gay adoption bill, .
"[T]he Argentine people will face a situation whose outcome can seriously harm the family," he wrote to the four monasteries in Argentina. "At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts."
He went on to describe it as a "move" of the Father of Lies who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God" and asked for lawmakers to "not act in error."
In response to his election, GLAAD President Herndon Graddick release a statement saying,
"For decades the Catholic hierarchy has been in need of desperate reform. In his life, Jesus condemned gays zero times. In Pope Benedict's short time in the papacy, he made a priority of condemning gay people routinely. This, in spite of the fact, that the Catholic hierarchy had been in collusion to cover up the widespread abuse of children within its care. We hope this Pope will trade in his red shoes for a pair of sandals and spend a lot less time condemning and a lot more time foot-washing."
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