Is something also changing in the Polish Catholic Church towards LGBT+ people?

Phoebe Carstens* article published on the website of the LGBT Catholic Association New Ways Ministry (United States) on December 12, 2024, freely translated by Giacomo Tessaro

In contrast with the usual externalizations of the Polish Catholic hierarchy, always hostile towards the LGBTQ people, [The Archbishop Emeritus] of Warsaw, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, declared himself open to legal protection for the same sex couples.

In a comment made [to the issuer]Pulsat News, the cardinal said the church should show "A certain tolerance" For those who enter into a civil union with a partner of the same sex, as long as this relationship is not equated to marriage.

This is a comment to the bill on the civil unions of the Minister for Equality Katarzyna Kotula, who proposes that “Two adults should be able to officially record their relationship regardless of their kind. This would ensure the same rights as married couples regarding, among other things, taxes and inheritance, and in choosing the surname ", reports the [German portal] Katholisch.de.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Warsaw stressed that Cardinal Nycz's comment must not be taken as a support for the bill, despite NYCZ also declared that the Church probably "He won't interfere" with the parliament called to discuss the bill.

This non -interference is a novelty if we think of the Polish bishops operating in harmony with the ultra -conservative party right and justice to promote policies contrary to LGBTQ+rights.

Even if Cardinal Nycz's comment is only a drop in the sea, every minimal opening towards LGBTQ people (as well as the promise of neutrality towards the bill) is significant, given the hostility that has always reigned in Poland,

The Archbishop of Krakow Marek JedraSzewski in a homily said that Poland suffered from one "Arcobaleno disease", and traced a parallel between the work of LGBTQ activists and the oppression carried out by the communist leaders. In a pastoral letter, with the support of many other bishops, he stated that the LGBTQ community is "The other great threat to our freedom", and that is based on "A radical refusal of God".

In 2020 the Polish bishops issued a document in which they declared that the Catholic doctrine on homosexuality is "infallible"; The document also seemed to approve reparative therapies. Although the auxiliary bishop of Lublin, Monsignor Józef Wróbel, has denied support for reparative therapies, has however continued to argue that sexual orientation can be changed.

The Polish Catholic Church is well known to support the attempts of the party law and justice to cancel LGBTQ rights, such as the bills to put out of law sexual education in schools and the equation of homosexuality to pedophilia.

The contribution of the Church to the conservative policies of the government exacerbated the dangerous and fear situation for LGBTQ+people, and makes Poland one of the only five countries of the European Union not to contemplate the marriage or the civil union for people of the same sex.

Cardinal Nycz himself had previously stood out for his anti-Lgbtq+acts. In 2016, together with the other bishops [Poles], he criticized the campaigns in favor of dialogue between Catholics and LGBTQ activists, and in 2020 he spoke of the act of placing a rainbow flag on a statue of Christ as "Desecration" and "vandalism".

Therefore, if his invitation to "A certain tolerance" It seems rather bland, perhaps it suggests a shift in a more positive direction, which is what the Poles are looking for.

According to Katholisch.de "The majority of the Poles supports the introduction of civil unions for homosexual couples". In addition, a survey of the same source reveals that, despite 90% of the Poles, it is Catholic, 65.7% consider negatively the role of the Church in society, probably largely due to the negative evaluation that gives LGBTQ people.

In any case, despite the convictions and violence, the pole Catholics LGBTQ+ and their allies resisted everything. It is a resistance that takes many forms: parents who publicly defend their homosexual children, activists who mix religious images with queer images to protest against anti-Lgbtq+ measures, the priest Adam świeżyński who blesses LGBTQ couples+ together with Protestant shepherds, for appoint only a few.

It is hoped that Cardinal Nylcz's comment can be a sign that the Polish hierarchy is starting to listen to the people of God and the Spirit of God who invite to justice and peace.

*Phoebe Carstens (them) is about to graduate from the Saint John theology school, where he works with other students from the university ministry. After graduating from Loyola University in Chicago and having spent a year to work on a biological farm, now you are about to graduate in theology with the hope of creating believing queer places within the Catholic communities.

Original text: Polish Cardinal Now Open to Legal Protections for LGBTQ+ Couples