Following the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday (21 April), a front-runner has emerged who bookies believe will be the next leader of the Catholic church: 70-year-old Cardinal Pietro Parolin, from Veneto. But will he be pro-LGBTQ?
Bookmakers are offering11/4 odds on Parolin becoming pope, which equates to a 26.7 per cent chance.
His closest rival is currently Luis Antonio Tagle, with 7/2 odds: a 22.2 per cent chance of securing the papacy.
Other likely candidates are Peter Turkson, with 7/1 odds (12.5 per cent) and Matteo Zuppi, also with 7/1 odds.
Pope Francis was seen as a moderate, progressive leader, and made a number of statements and gestures aimed at pushing the church to be more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community during his papacy.
Pope Francis said being gay is “not a crime” before describing the criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people as “wrong”, he echoed these views when denouncing Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, saying “discrimination is a sin, and violence against the LGBTIQ communities is unacceptable”.
He also urged parents to love their LGBTQ+ kids, not disown them, and told parents of queer youth that God loves all his children just as they are. However, he was still bound by the strict teachings of the Catholic church, and repeatedly spoke out against marriage equality, and so-called “gender ideology.”
So, where does his successor, Pietro Parolin, stand on these issues? Is he a more left-wing and progressive figure, or does he belong to one of the more conservative factions of the Catholic church? Let’s find out.
Is Pietro Parolin left or right wing?
The answer is, essentially, neither. The Independent reports that rather than adhering to “left” or “right” political leanings, Cardinal Parolin has long been considered a moderate figure within the Church. A safe bet, in other words, who Newsweek notes is seen as someone who could provide continuity and stability within the Church.
As former Secretary of State for the Vatican, Parolin has a wealth of diplomatic experience, and the College of Cardinals say that he’s used his diplomatic talents “in a wide variety of areas, notably nuclear disarmament, outreach to communist countries, and even mediation activities. He is especially expert in matters concerning the Middle East and the geo-political situation of the Asian continent.”
The college also note that Parolin is “a modernist progressive with a globalist vision” as well as “a courageous idealist (and) avid proponent of peace.”
What has Pietro Parolin said about LGBTQ+ rights?
Although Pietro Parolin is considered to be “progressive” his LGBTQ+ record isn’t spectacular.
On 5 April 2019, in his role as Secretary of State of the Vatican, Parolin did agree to meet with international lawyers and civil society representatives to listen to their request for the papacy to stand against conversion therapy, but failed to renew the Holy See’s condemnation of the criminalization of same-sex relations.
Like his mentor and friend Pope Francis, he has also spoken negatively about “gender ideology”, calling it “extremely dangerous because it nullifies differences in its claim to make everyone equal.”
However, he has dismissed the claim that clergy sexual abuse is linked to homosexuality, labeling it a “serious and scientifically untenable association.”
“Homosexual orientation cannot be considered as either cause or aspect typical of the abuser, even more so when it is decoupled from the general arrangement of the person,” he said.
There isn’t much else on record about Pietro Parolin’s LGBTQ+ stance; he’s mainly been involved in diplomatic activities up until now and hasn’t really spoken out much about the queer community. However, if he does become the next pope, that is likely to change as he’ll be thrust into a world where culture wars targeting the LGBTQ+ community have taken a strong hold, and as pope, he will no doubt be expected to weigh in.
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