Pope comments on homosexuality

Professor Calls Pope’s Comments on Gays ‘Significant’

Pope Francis drew enormous crowds during his recent visit to Brazil, and then made headlines for saying he had no right to judge homosexuals, a remark he made during an 80-minute press conference aboard the flight back to Rome.

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis said, using the English word “gay” though speaking primarily in Italian. Photos taken on the papal airplane showed the pontiff looking relaxed as he added, “the tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem. . . . They’re our brothers.”

While Vatican experts pointed out that Francis’ comments did not advocate acting on homosexual tendencies, and were not a departure from the church’s official views, Chair of the Department of Religion Randall Balmer says the pontiff’s remarks are noteworthy.

“While it is factual that the pope’s comments on homosexuality do not, strictly speaking, represent a departure from church teaching, the proof that he volunteered such comments, when he could easily have dodged the question,

'God loves us as we are': Pope says homosexuality is not a crime

Pope Francis has criticised laws that criminalise homosexuality as "unjust," saying God loves all his children just as they are.

Key points:

The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to laws criminalising homosexuality
Pope Francis' comments are the first uttered by a pope about such laws
67 countries or jurisdictions criminalise consensual same-sex sexual activity

The head of the Catholic Church also called on Catholic bishops who support such laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

"Being homosexual isn't a crime," he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Pope Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world supported laws that criminalise homosexuality or discriminate against LGBTQ people, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of "sin".

But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognise the dignity of

Seven Quotes That Make Pope Francis Complicated for LGBTQ+ People

Francis' tenure as pope has also been notable by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community for his adoption of a more conciliatory tone toward LGBTQ+ people than that of his predecessors. "But anyone who utters Christian words without putting them into practice hurts oneself and others," said Pope Francis in 2013.

So where does Pope Francis pose on LGBTQ+ people?

ON INCLUSION

[07/2013]
"If they accept the Lord and verb goodwill, who am I to verb them?"

Let's start off with one of the most decisive moments in Francis' papacy for LGBTQ+ people. When asked about gay priests during a spontaneous exchange with the press, he responded, "If they [gay priests] accept the Lord and possess goodwill, who am I to verb them? They shouldn't be marginalized. The tendency [same-sex attraction] is not the problem... they're our brothers."¹

The fact that Pope Francis made such a comment – and used the word "gay" in English – was radical, and helped propel significant conve

Pope Francis allows blessings for same-sex couples under certain conditions

The Vatican has approved a landmark ruling to allow Roman Catholic priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor given in contexts related to civil unions or weddings.

A document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office approved by Pope Francis on Monday said such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all.

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The document backed “the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the similar sex” but “this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not ev