Pope Benedict — 'God's Rottweiler' — Called Homosexuality 'Intrinsically Evil'
While tributes pour in for Pope_Benedict_XVI|Pope Benedict XVI after his death on Saturday at the age of 95, don't expect any from the LGBTQ+ population. Benedict, who famously stepped away from leading the Catholic Church nine years ago, was a rigid, moral disciplinarian who throughout his long church career actively addressed homosexuality as a moral defect. His hard line led him to be nicknamed "God's Rottweiler."
In addition, Benedict became pontiff at the time when the Church was being held accountable for the priest abuse scandal that had rocked the institution. But in January 2022, "a report found that he failed to take action against priests who abused children during his tenure as archbishop of Munich, even though he knew of allegations against them," writes Pink News.
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), an organization that advocates for survivors, described Pope Benedict XVI as an "abuse enabler" in a press release shortly after news of his death was confirmed.
"Any celebration that marks the life of abuse enablers like Benedict must end," the group said. "It is past time for the Vatican to refocus on change: tell the truth about known abusive clergy, protect children and adults, and allow justice to those who have been hurt. Honouring Pope Benedict XVI now is not only wrong. It is shameful."
Marianne Duddy-Burke, Executive Director of DignityUSA, wrote in a statement that the passing of former Pope Benedict XVI "marks what is, hopefully, the end of a long, painful era for LGBTQIA+ Catholics, our families, and the entire church."
DignityUSA is the world's oldest organization of Catholics working for justice, equality, and full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the church and society.
"The death of any human being is an occasion of sorrow. We pray for Pope Benedict's soul and express our condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones," Duddy-Burke continued. "However, his death also calls us to reflect honestly on his legacy. Benedict's leadership in the church, as Pope and before that as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), caused tremendous damage to LGBTQIA+ people and our loved ones. His words and writings forced our community out of Catholic churches, tore families apart, silenced our supporters, and even cost lives. He refused to recognize even the most basic human rights for LGBTQIA+ people. Many of us experienced the most harsh and blatant religiously justified discrimination of our lives as a result of his policies."
She points out that as head of the CDF, Benedict, then known as Cardinal Ratzinger, was responsible for a 1986 letter to all the church's bishops, "On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons".
"This letter labelled having a gay or lesbian orientation as 'objectively disordered' and said that all same-sex intimate relationships were 'intrinsically evil' and 'essentially self-indulgent.' Released during the height of the AIDS pandemic, it also blamed gay men for the disease, and stated that it was understandable that efforts to secure civil rights for LGBTQIA+ people would be met with violence," writes the report on the Dignity USA website.
His letter also prohibited those who disagreed with Church policies about homosexuality from using Catholic spaces such as churches, schools, colleges, retreat houses, and the facilities of religious orders." A former CDF official confirmed in 2017 that this directive was aimed at DignityUSA and its chapters. As a result of the 1986 letter, the great majority of Dignity communities, then overwhelmingly housed in Catholic facilities across the U.S., were expelled from those spaces within a year."
DignityUSA also condemned the former pontiff for banning the distribution of condoms by Catholic health and social services agencies — a move which impacted the spread of HIV.
In addition, as Pope, Benedict XVI was among the most vocal and powerful global leaders who objected to marriage equality and gay and lesbian people raising children, causing immense damage worldwide. In his Christmas message of 2012, Benedict said gay marriage "destroyed the essence of the human creature," and said gay marriage, along with abortion and euthanasia, was "a threat to world peace." He said allowing same-sex couples to adopt children was an "attack" on the "traditional family."
"It is impossible to overstate the damage Pope Benedict's repeated dehumanizing of LGBTQIA+ people has caused," said Duddy-Burke. "Individuals, families, and whole communities across the globe suffered tragic consequences, many of which are still felt today.