Abstract

This article argues that a much anticipated liberalization of doctrine of matters of sexuality will not take place under Pope Francis. Though the pope has brought a more tolerant manner and tone in his discourse on homosexuality, the underlying foundation remains frozen, amid reiterated essentializations of gender that derive from archaic Catholic constructions of natural law. The article reviews Catholic doctrine on sexuality, particularly since the Church’s 1975 instruction on sexual ethics. Thinking with the “indecent theology” proposals of Argentine-Scottish theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid, the author compares prior expressions of doctrine with those found in key magisterial writings of Pope Francis. He concludes that the more open spirit and tone in the Pope’s public pronouncements are not matched by any significant shift in his teaching on sexuality, compared to his predecessors.