Pope Francis’s monthly invites to, and luncheon with, a group of “transgenders” were not charitable. The Bible makes it very clear that charity is not merely material but also spiritual, and it is not praiseworthy to affirm and assist people in living a lifestyle which has high risk of physical and emotional damage — and which can condemn one to Hell.
True charity means helping someone toward salvation. Evangelizers used to be massively more successful when they were truthful instead of cowardly. When St. Peter converted 3,000 people at Pentecost, it was after accusing them “you by the hands of wicked men have crucified and slain” Jesus (Acts 2:23). St. Nicholas punched the heretic Arius. Popular Christian writer C.S. Lewis wrote a whole book about how demons manipulate people into damnation (“Screwtape Letters”). As St. Padre Pio once said of people who don’t believe in Hell, “They will very well believe in hell when they get there.”
Jesus frequently dines with sinners and even rebukes those who disapprove of His mercy in the Gospels — that is absolutely true. Jesus also puts a massive emphasis on repentance. For instance, “sin no more” (John 5:14, 8:11), and “repent” or “do penance” (Matt. 3:2, 4:17). Mercy and justice go hand in hand; one must desire Divine forgiveness to receive it. In Luke 17:3, Jesus makes repentance a condition of forgiveness: “If thy brother sin against thee, reprove him: and if he do penance, forgive him.” Judas is one sinner who did not ask forgiveness, and Jesus says of him (John 17:12), “none of them is lost, but the son of perdition.” That’s not the title you’d like Jesus to give you. Multiple Bible verses state clearly that homosexuals and sexual perverts cannot go to heaven, including Romans 1:25-27, 32 — which calls homosexuals and “they also that consent to” homosexuality “worthy of death” — and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
Related: Notre Dame’s Pro-LGTBQ Pride Is Anti-Biblical and Un-Catholic
Furthermore, even looking just at material consequences, LGBTQ lifestyles are very harmful. LGBTQ individuals have consistently been found with higher anxiety and depression, and a higher risk of suicidal thoughts. Transgender surgeries and “treatments” permanently damage people’s bodies. Homosexuals are also at higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and other serious medical conditions. For instance, as of 2014, a staggering 83% of syphilis cases in the U.S. were among homosexual and “bisexual” men. Furthermore, LGBTQ ideology and sexual licentiousness are very destructive to a society. We see that disaster unfolding before our eyes in America. Enabling and encouraging behavior that is morally wrong and personally and societally damaging isn’t charity, it’s wicked.
It’s sad that Pope Francis targeted faithful clerics like Fr. Frank Pavone and Bishop Strickland even as he was affirming transgenders, who give no evidence that the pope invited them to repentance and reconciliation. AP reported that the transgenders have monthly VIP seats at the pope’s Wednesday general audiences:
For this group of trans women in Italy, Pope Francis and his message of inclusivity are a welcome change.
— The Associated Press (@AP) November 21, 2023
And thanks to the local parish priest, these women now make monthly visits to Francis’ Wednesday general audiences, where they are given VIP seats. pic.twitter.com/jHmiXJovnh
From The Western Journal:
The Associated Press reported Sunday that a group of "transgender Catholics" -- men claiming to be women -- have enjoyed lunch at the Vatican each month while receiving VIP treatment from Pope Francis…
On Sunday, the wire service reported, Francismarked the Catholic Church's "World Day of the Poor" by hosting a lunch for more than 1,000 people, including about 120 men claiming to be women.
The pontiff's relationship with this particular community dates to the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns, when a local priest "found sex workers showing up at his church asking for help to survive," the AP reported. The Vatican responded with food and medical supplies.
The fact is that, in this instance, it was actually wrong to provide material help without requesting, in a loving and compassionate manner, a serious lifestyle change. What the Vatican did here was financially reward sinful perversion! Even from a purely material perspective, “sex workers” — i.e., prostitutes — are at a higher risk of STDs. And, as noted above, homosexual men in particular are at high risk of STDs. Why on earth is it considered charitable to enable self-destructive behavior?
Jesus called sinners to repentance precisely because He loved them. The pope should do the same.
