When it comes to reporting on the Vatican, there are
two constants these days: a whiff of sulphur around the Pope's bank and
the alleged presence of a so-called gay lobby at the heart of the
church's central administration.
Just as Pope Francis, below, flew to Brazil to celebrate World
Youth Day with an estimated 3.2 million young Catholics, the respected
Italian magazine 'l'Espresso' carried the front page headline 'La lobby
gay' about the Vatican.
You don't have to be a scholar of Italian to work it out.
It is not surprising, then, that when the Pope held an impromptu press conference on board his plane on his way back from Brazil, the issue came up.
"When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby," he said.
"A gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will – well, who am I to judge him?" the Pope asked, before going on to say "they shouldn't be marginalised".
The use of the word "gay" is itself remarkable in the comments.
In the past, and in official documents, the church has preferred to use phrases like "homosexual persons" or "those with a homosexual inclination".
A 2005 ruling by Pope Benedict on whether a gay person could be a priest oddly drew a distinction and said those with a "deep-seated homosexual tendency" should not be admitted to seminaries.
The decision did not elaborate on what the church felt the difference was between a gay tendency that is "deep seated" and one that is, presumably, more superficial.
In choosing to use the word "gay", Pope Francis is using a colloquial word, but he may also be saying something deeper.
Traditionally, the church has adopted a "love the sinner, hate the sin" approach to homosexuality. This has distinguished between the person and the sexual acts (which the church says are intrinsically disordered).
The church's critics have found the distinction tenuous at best and disingenuous at worst.
In using the word "gay", the Pope appears to refer to the overall identity of a person rather than the usual focus on sexual acts.
The "who am I to judge?" line has understandably piqued interest around the globe.
But it would be wrong to think that this signals a dramatic shift in the church's attitude towards homosexuality.
If
anything, Francis differs from his immediate predecessors in emphasis
rather than in substance. He also told journalists that "the problem
isn't this orientation" before going on to quote the catechism which
reaffirms the traditional stance.
On gay marriage, the Pope was asked by a journalist why he did not speak out during his trip on the issue.
"The church already has spoken on these issues," he said.
"Young people understand perfectly what the church's point of view is."
There
will also be disappointment among some liberal Catholics who have been
campaigning for a long time for the ordination of women priests.
"That
door is closed," he said simply, adding that "the church has spoken and
said 'no'." But, he added, the church had to work hard to become more
inclusive of women.
"It is not enough to have altar girls," he said.
You cannot please everyone as Pope.
Benedict XVI certainly did not, and nor will Francis.
Part
of the key is managing expectations.
Francis, with his informal style
and open approach, has raised the hopes of some liberal Catholics that
dramatic reforms are on the way.
If it is changes to core Catholic teaching they are after, they will be sorely disappointed.
Francis
makes a lot of people in the Vatican nervous. He certainly makes his
security detail extremely anxious as he shuns traditional protection.
His impromptu press conference will also worry Vatican media handlers.
Speaking to the press has become commonplace on the papal plane from the early days of John Paul II
in the 1980s. It was a tradition that Benedict XVI continued.
However,
the key difference was that in the past, journalists' questions were
screened in advance and a few chosen to be answered.
Previous Pontiffs offered responses that were almost tedious in their word-perfect adherence to a prepared script.
In
spending 80 minutes conversing with reporters in the middle of the
night, without the filter of a spin doctor, Francis has again shown his
flair for spontaneity.
It is a journalist's dream come true.