Jennifer Galm | Blogger

Each one of us has a voice and a reason to be heard, but there are some humans that have a few more listeners than the rest of us: those in political leaderships roles, people who are respected within religious hierarchy, and those that are continually in the public eye. We listen intently, chew on the new bits of information, and then digest their words until the nutrients have been broken down and enter into our thoughts and help us to make sense of our world. So, when the leader of one of the world’s most followed faiths makes a statement that is contrary to the accustomed teachings of that religion, people eat it up and ask for seconds.

What I’m talking about here is Pope Francis’s statements in regards to Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) persons in the Catholic faith.

“If someone is gay, and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Pope Francis said.

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says they should not be marginalized because of this but that they must be integrated into society,” Pope Francis said, reported by the BBC.

I cannot fully explain the importance of such a statement by a person in power. All I can say is that this olive branch, if you will, is one of the first planks on a bridge to cross the chasm that lay between an LGBT person’s truth in self and the prospect of returning to their faith. It will be a way to open up dialog between family members with differing viewpoints. It will hopefully percolate through society and help to lessen the tragedy that comes from marginalizing a group of people.

I don’t believe the welcome mat has been laid out in front of the Narthex quite yet, but anytime someone in power says something positive and welcoming towards the LGBT community, I feel a bit of hope and relief come over me. Not only because of who had said it, but the fact that so many others heard him say it.

We all have a voice, not just the people with fame, power, or influence. We all have a chance to make something better or worse by the way we talk about it with others.

Graphic by Grace Body