(Crux. Elise Ann Allen).
After Pope Francis sparked a wave of controversy for using an off-color gay slur, he now appears to be attempting to mend fences, offering reassurances to a homosexual man turned away from seminary and writing the preface to a book by a prominent LGBTQ+ activist priest.
On June 4, the Italian version of Jesuit Father James Martin’s book, “Come forth: The promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle,” was published, including a preface written by Pope Francis.
The book, published in English in September 2023, offers an extended reflection and analysis of the biblical account of Jesus raising his friend Lazarus from the dead, and telling him to come out of the cave where he had been buried. Martin, editor at large for America Magazine and famous for his support of the Catholic LGBTQ+ community, explores various aspects of the passage and the figure of Lazarus in art and culture, focusing on the story as an example of how God’s presence can transform people and offer them new life.