University Rector of Catholic University of Leuven , Luc Sels, Addressed Pope Francis in Belgium: Asking "Would the church not be a warmer community if there was a prominent place for women, including in the priesthood?"

Source: Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, September 30, 2024

Pope Francis greeting Lynn Discenza, a trans Catholic woman who helps lead LGBTQ+ ministry at Hartford, Connecticut's St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church

A top Catholic in Belgium has appealed to Pope Francis for greater reform in the church, including for LGBTQ+ inclusion, on the occasion of a papal visit to the country. Earlier in the month, the pope greeted a group of four U.S. trans women at an audience in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Francis visited Luxembourg and Belgium over three days last week, during which he stopped at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) ahead of the 600th anniversary of its founding in 2025. While addressing the pope, the university's rector, Luc Sels, advocated for reforms sought by many Belgian Catholics. The National Catholic Reporter detailed:

"In his wide-ranging speech — which praised the pope for his support of refugees, efforts to combat climate change and his commitment to greater lay involvement in the life of the church — the rector lamented that the church 'too often provides "once and for all" universal answers.'

"'It is encouraging that you, the pope, have the courage to publicly question who you are to judge people with a different orientation,' said Sels, in reference to the pope's famous 2013 response of 'Who am I to judge?' when asked about gay priests.

"'Would the church not gain moral authority in our corner of the world were it to have a less forced approach to the topic of gender diversity and were it to show more openness towards the LGBTQIA+ community?' asked Sels, noting that he was pleased that both the Flemish bishops and Leuven theologians have expanded their outreach to gay Catholics."

Sels also appealed to Francis to ordain women and expanded their leadership in the church, asking: "Why do we tolerate this considerable gap between men and women in a church that is so often carried on the shoulders of women? . . . Would the church not be a warmer community if there was a prominent place for women, including in the priesthood?"

On clergy sexual abuse, which has embroiled the Belgian church in recent years, Sels added that "the impact of the sexual abuse cases and the way this misconduct was or was not openly discussed and condemned in the past takes away from the moral authority of the church in the western world."

According to NCR, the pope did not respond directly to Sels' remarks, though he encouraged theological exploration. Notably, on the Vatican's broadcast of the meeting, "the English language interpreter did not include a translation of the rector's comments on women in the priesthood."

NCR also reported that in mid-September Pope Francis once again welcomed transgender Catholics to his Wednesday audience.

This time, the pope greeted a group from the U.S. who introduced themselves as "four trans women who have always lived and worked in the Catholic Church" before Francis blessed them. The women—Martha Marvel, Maureen Rasmussen, Christine Zuba, and Lynn Discenza—were accompanied by an Italian priest, Fr. Andrea Conocchia, and a woman religious, Sr. Geneviève Jeanningros. Both of these pastoral ministers are known for their outreach to the trans community in Torvaianica, near Rome.

The pair of pastoral workers have brought groups of trans women to the Vatican before—for Covid vaccines, papal audiences, and a luncheon for World Day of the Poor attended by Pope Francis. Ahead of this month's audience, the four U.S. women met with their trans peers at Torvaianica, many of whom are involved in sex work, to pray together and offer a donation. The U.S. women are all involved with LGBTQ+ ministries back home, having first connected with Conocchia at the 2024 Outreach conference.

(Christine Zuba, second from left, with the other three U.S. trans women, Fr. Andrea Conocchia, center, and members of the Torvaianica parish community)

Ahead of the general audience, the women wrote to the pope about their life stories. NCR's article includes many of those details for the women, all of whom came out and transitioned later in life after deep involvement with the Catholic Church.

One of the women, Christine Zuba, wrote a longer essay about her experiencing meeting Francis for Outreach. Towards the end, she concludes:

"On the long flight home early the next morning, I experienced conflicting emotions. I was reading the new book [from New Ways Ministry], Cornerstones: Sacred Stories of LGBTQ+ Employees in Catholic Institutions, edited by Ish Ruiz and Mark Guevarra. The book includes painful stories about LGBTQ people who have been fired from their church jobs. This certainly saddened me.

"But I let my mind wander back to my encounter with Pope Francis, and I wondered if his request, 'Pray for me, pray for me,' held special resonance or had a particular meaning for us transgender Catholics that day.

"By traveling around the world, spreading the Gospel message of love to people of all faiths, Pope Francis is enacting change. Not everyone agrees with him, and even still, within our church, not everyone feels included. But the four of us felt included that day. While not everyone who feels excluded by the church will be able to experience the same kind of welcome, I hope that by sharing our story, others will know they are welcome."

--Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, September 30, 2024