A Tale of Two Churches

The incendiary right-wing remarks offered at the 2024 commencement ceremony of Benedictine College by NFL Kansas Chief’s kicker, Harrison Butker, served as a stark reminder of the deeply entrenched polarization in the Catholic Church.

The commencement speech contained a strong endorsement of the Latin Mass and a sharp criticism of bishops and priests who, according to the star athlete, did not do enough to defend the Catholic faith from secular corruption. The speech omitted Vatican II teachings on the multicultural and global dimensions of faith, the importance of engaging with culture if we are to respond to the signs of the times and the calls to social justice. In fact, the speech did not have a single mention of the poor and marginalized—with whom Jesus spent the majority of his time on Earth.

Among the many topics the speech covered, the ones that drew the most media attention were—unsurprisingly—the comments on gender and sexual orientation. Butker condemned the “demonic lies” told to women that their vocation can be lived out in pursuit of a professional career. Instead, he emphasized the roles of “homemaker,” “wife” and “mother” as the most important vocations women can pursue. He also took a quick stab at LGBTQ+ persons by criticizing pride month (evoking enthusiasm from the audience) and even inserted a Taylor Swift reference—leaving both progressive Catholics and Swifties enraged.

As I listened to his vision for Catholicism, I did not recognize the post-Vatican II Church I grew up with. In fact, for a moment I thought I was watching a scene from a certain popular dystopian fictional series on Hulu (based on a book by Margaret Atwood).

And then came the thunderous applause from the audience after the speech and I was reminded that perhaps my vision of the Vatican II Church is the fictional one.

Among many things, polarization in our Church on matters of gender and sexual orientation has been fueled by what I consider to be duplicitous activities from Vatican officials, including the Holy Father. For example, over the past year, there have been two documents addressing LGBTQ+ issues, which have somehow simultaneously created more openness to LGBTQ+ inclusion while solidifying their place in the Church as second-class members.

Fiducia Supplicans, published at the end of 2023, allows priests to bless persons in same-sex unions who together approach them for a benediction. However, these blessings are conceptualized as non-sacramental and as a desire for people in same-sex unions to live a better life despite their limitations. It discursively crafts an adverse reality for same-sex couples whereby the love they share and, I argue, the grace that flows from their union is pathologized.

Dignitas Infinita, published in 2024, synthesizes the Church’s beautiful teachings on human dignity as applicable to all persons—including LGBTQ+ people. However, the document then proceeds to craft and condemn the boogieman of “gender ideology” (which appears to be a thin veil for transgender identity). Interestingly, in a private correspondence with Sr. Jeaninne Gramick, Pope Francis appears to clarify that gender ideology does not apply to “transexuals,” leaving further questions about what the document is actually referring to, but nonetheless offering fodder for right-wing Catholics to further oppress transgender persons.

In what is perhaps to me the most offensive incident, during a closed meeting with Italian bishops, news outlets reported that Pope Francis used a homophobic slur to refer to same-sex sexual activity among seminarians. Furthermore, he asked Italian bishops to bar gay persons from entering the seminaries; which—though congruent with an earlier document he endorsed banning men with deep seated homosexual tendencies from the priesthood—is a direct contradiction to his most famous response of “who am I to judge?” that supported gay men’s vocation to be priests if they search the Lord with all their heart. In an ambiguous apology where the Vatican expressed regret for any offense, Pope Francis reiterated that the Church is for everyone.

Unfortunately, such welcome appears to me as a superficial sense of unity based on kind gestures toward the oppressed while, conceptually, we continue to think less of them and thereby perpetuate their oppression. More importantly, the result of this duplicity is a polarized Church. There are indeed two Churches—both born out of the selectivity with which Catholics embrace parts of a duplicitous message.

What is needed going forward is an attitude of humility. Catholic leaders must embrace reality: matters of sexuality remain a mystery to our Church, and we have to be careful with the messages we send. Real unity can best be fostered when we commit to joint communal discernment that stems from genuine curiosity, not when we pretend that we have all the answers.

As I have written before (here and here), my hope for the future of the Church rests in synodality, which I believe represents a new ecclesiology whereby mutual listening—especially to the marginalized such as LGBTQ+ persons—will yield new insights about our faith and our nature that can guide the Church forward together. For such a vision to take place, Catholic leaders, especially Pope Francis, need to listen to their own advice and recommit to genuine discernment in unity. 

In the meantime, I lament that both the Vatican and Mr. Butker have missed important opportunities to meaningfully unite our Church as of late.

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Ish Ruiz is the assistant professor of Latinx & queer decolonial theology at Pacific School of Religion.