The Story Behind Pope Francis’ Shocking Reversal on Same-Sex Relationships

The Catholic Church, a 2,000-year-old institution, generally moves at a glacial pace. At the start of Francis’ papacy, the DDF was led by a German ally of Pope Benedict XVI who would go on to accuse Francis of “material heresies.” Francis replaced him with a Spaniard with a similar theological background, signaling, as one Catholic publication put it at the time, that he “did not want a radical shake-up at the Vatican office, but simply a change in personnel.” In July, though, Francis appointed his third DDF prefect: Víctor Manuel “Tucho” Fernández. “One thing that’s changed since 2021 is, back then he couldn’t count on key figures in the Vatican,” Massimo Faggioli, a professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, said about Francis. It’s one of the markers of his pontificate.” Related From Slate Pope Francis Finally Did Something About the Revolt Brewing Against Him As Faggioli and others see it, the 2021 statement rejecting blessings for gay couples is something Francis simply allowed to be published “without his heart,” in part to appease the conservatives in the Vatican and, Faggioli suspected, to see what the reaction would be. “That’s giving it a weight and clarity you never had before.” The timing was also right for Francis to make his own position clear, given the political climate of the Catholic Church.