Pope Francis is seeking Christian unity, raising fears among some clergy. But who should really be afraid? A key tenet of Catholicism is that the pope and the clergy do not change church teachings. They can shed new light on them, but the beliefs and rules themselves are meant to have been the same for 2,000-plus years. If you suddenly allow homosexuality, female priests and contraception, it contradicts that history and, some fear, could undermine the entire church. After all, if Catholicism accepts all those things, how can it differentiate itself from any major Protestant sect? Yet, ever since his ascension in 2013, Pope Francis has worked to help the Catholic Church acknowledge shifts in societal norms. In May, for example, a victim of sexual abuse said the pope told him that God made him gay and that it “doesn’t matter” — a statement the Vatican did not confirm. During the Zika crisis of 2016, the pontiff suggested that contraceptives could be used to slow its advance. | 
