You Might Like
Pope Francis is unlikely supporter of gay children’s book
Pope Francis has reportedly written a letter of support to a children’s author whose book featuring same-sex families was banned by the mayor of Venice.
Piccolo Uovo (Little Egg), written by Francesca Pardi, tells the tale of an egg who encounters a variety of different family set ups including gay penguins, lesbian rabbits, a mixed race dog couple, a inter-species adoption between kangaroos and polar bears, and a single parent hippo.
Piccolo Uovo – featuring diverse families
The book was one of the 49 books to be banned in Venice by mayor Luigi Brugnaro, prompting widespread backlash and attracting attention across the globe.
As well as receiving backing from celebrity supporters including Sir Elton John, who shared his support for one of the banned titles on Instagram earlier this month, the banned list has now attracted the attention of Pope Francis, who praised Pardi for her work in a letter written by his staff, seen by The Guardian.
‘His holiness is grateful for the thoughtful gesture and for the feelings which it evoked, hoping for an always more fruitful activity in the service of young generations and the spread of genuine human and Christian values,’ wrote Peter B Wells, a senior Vatican official, in a letter sent to Pardi’s Milan home dated 9 July.
The Pope’s letter was in response to a parcel of children’s books sent to the Vatican in June by Pardi, including stories featuring LGBTI characters and same-sex couples. She also included a letter, in which she described the negativity she has faced in the past months.
‘Many parishes across the country are in this period sullying our name and telling falsehoods about our work which deeply offends us,’ she wrote.
‘We have respect for Catholics … A lot of Catholics give back the same respect, why can’t we have the whole hierarchy of the church behind us?’
Pardi said she was surprised to receive the letter, but did not think the reply to her parcel represented a change in the Vatican’s attitudes towards homosexuality.
‘It’s not that I think that he’s for gay families, because there’s the Catholic doctrine, but we mustn’t think that we don’t have rights,’ she said.
Pope Francis is noted for his more liberal stance on homosexuality than his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, famously saying in 2013: ‘If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?’
Despite this, the Vatican said the closing blessing of the private letter was addressed to Pardi, and not written in support of teachings which went against church doctrine.
The post Pope Francis is unlikely supporter of gay children’s book appeared first on Gay Star News.
Mel Spencer
www.gaystarnews.com/article/pope-francis-is-unlikely-supporter-of-gay-childrens-book/
You Might Like
