In an interview ahead of his creation as cardinal, The Dialog reported that when asked about how to square pastoral concerns with the church’s sexual ethics, Radcliffe replied:
“When we meet people who are different from us, with whom we disagree, instead of dismissing them as always wrong, we have to be open to receive the bit of truth that they have from which we can learn.”
Radcliffe, who was once Master of the worldwide Dominican Order and served as a chaplain to the Synod on Synodality’s global assemblies, was a pastoral agent on the frontlines of the AIDS epidemic.
According to The Dialog, he “has long promoted the study of Catholic social doctrine and the intersection of theology and social problems.” It was in his AIDS ministry that the Dominican priest “got to see how much love and compassion there was” in the LGBTQ+ community.
The new cardinal indicated that the church’s sexual ethics were not often an obstacle when ministering to LGBTQ+ people, saying:
“In all my years of working, it’s very rare people raise the issue of chastity. I think most of them know that I stand by the teaching of the church and so they don’t come to me to find easy ways out. What they want in the first place is friendship, welcome and recognition that they are like all of us, fellow disciples seeking to follow the will of the Lord.”
Although he affirms the church’s sexual teaching as “sound and good” and containing “fundamental wisdom,” Radcliffe acknowledged that even without outlining a “new” sexual ethic, the church is called to locate “nuance” and more effectively present its teaching as “liberating and good.”
This includes understanding the matter “more in Eucharistic terms because at the heart of our faith is our Lord who said, ‘This is my body, and I give it to you,'” Radcliffe said. He added that, “[Jesus] gave himself once and forever to us to be wounded, but to be accepted as a gift.”
Ultimately, Radcliffe said compassion is the key, warning against putting people “in boxes.”
“They are people like you and like me,” Radcliffe said. “I think what the church offers is love and what it has to do is to receive the gifts that each person gives.”