It's Iimi! One Afternoon in the Rain…

Walking to the bus stop, Iimi has a chance encounter with Mike, who is deeply troubled by news about the Pope. How will Iimi handle this awkward dialogue that happens... One Afternoon in the Rain

Content Warning

This comic will discuss a certain slur reported in the recent news cycle that Pope Francis is said to have made. While this is not quoted to show approval, it will not be censored. 

Addendum to the Post-Comic Notes:

After this comic was uploaded but before it was published, a second story alleging his use of the term came out. This news came out too late to modify the comic. So, I will summarize here what I might have written if it had come out during the scripting:

This second reported incident (which seems to be largely ignored by most of the secular media so far) also relied on unverifiable sources. So, if true, I would suspect that the Pope uses the term habitually and not out of contempt for gays. 

Like in the first instance, we don't know anything about the credibility of those who reported it to the media. I am beginning to wonder if there is an agenda driving the leaks. We are seeing more stories attacking the Church policy on seminary admissions and the Pope for opposing the admission of gays.

I don't believe anything in the original comic needs to be retracted.

The Original Post-Comic Notes:

Whether or not the secular reporting is agenda-driven, there are Catholics who exploit this to either justify the mistreatment of homosexual persons or to try to undermine Church teaching on homosexuality and the discipline of who may be admitted to the seminary.

Regarding the first part of Iimi’s discussion. You may wonder why I am entertaining the question, “Did the slur happen?” 

Well, I don’t deny the possibility. The problem is that I know nothing about these unnamed bishops who leaked it, where they stand concerning the Pope or their motives. So, I won’t accuse them of bad will. But there have been enough false stories about the Pope that misreporting is possible… especially when the original source was a tabloid. I know even less about the leakers of the second incident.

If accurately reported, it sounds like the Pope attempted a joke with cringe-worthy connotations in his (legitimate) objection to specific calls to loosen requirements for gays in the seminary. Given the accounts of him having a coarse vocabulary and picking up vulgar terms when learning a language, he could have let fly with a vulgarity he later regretted. That would not negate the teachings of the Church. Nor would the incident “prove” that the policy on seminary admissions was “homophobic.” Pope Francis has shown concern for gays without approving of same-sex acts. 

Like Iimi, I approach it as “if… then…” not “It is.” If everything is aboveboard in the claim, then it confirms that Pope Francis is a sinner like the rest of us. We should pray for him and remember: “For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” (Mt 7:2). 

Whatever future revelations might come, it occurred to me that Mike would be deeply bothered by this as he considered how to face Pascal’s Wager (see Issue 193). So, that was the launching pad for the story.

If you missed the story, here are some links.

https://www.usccb.org/news/2024/pope-apologizes-using-homophobic-slang

https://thehill.com/policy/international/4688775-pope-francis-apology-homophobic-slur-vatican

https://apnews.com/article/pope-gay-priests-francis-vatican-92ee291bbeef00a898a10a8a45afd32c https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/popes-friends-observers-try-make-sense-homophobic-pr-disaster-2024-06-06/

Art Credits:

Page 26 Margin Backdrop, Figudesign © – 2021