Out of the closet in contentious times: a comparison of the beliefs, attitudes and expectations of LGBTQ+ Catholics in Italy and South Korea

LGBTQ+ rights have opened divisive debates in several societies and within religious organizations. Although the Roman Catholic Church has opposed the extension of LGBTQ+ rights, several Catholic theologians, priests and associations have increasingly advocated compatibility between Catholicism and non-heteronormative sexualities. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with Catholic queer laypersons and their allies, this article compares the beliefs, attitudes in religious communities and expectations of LGBTQ+ Catholics in Italy and South Korea. Although these countries are geographically distant, LGBTQ+ rights have gained significant prominence in their public spheres. However, the Italian and Korean Catholic authorities have adopted different stances on LGBTQ+ issues. Whereas the Catholic Church in Italy has followed the more tolerant pastoral orientation of Pope Francis, the Catholic clergy in South Korea maintain conservative positions. This study shows similarities and differences in the beliefs, attitudes and expectations of Italian and Korean LGBTQ+ Catholics. It also hypothesizes the plausible influence of contextual factors, particularly the values of religious congregations, on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ Catholics. This article contributes to the lived religion approach through a cross-national investigation on how the intersections between religion, institutional authority and non-heteronormative sexualities are lived in different cultural contexts.