Pope Francis has called laws criminalizing homosexuality as fundamentally ‘unfair,’ making it clear that in the mind of the leader of the Catholic Church, ‘being homosexual is not a crime.’
The pontiff addressed discrimination against the LGBTQ community, in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press published Wednesday.
‘We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are,’ he told AP reporter Nicole Winfield at his Vatican residence.
Francis reiterated, however, church teaching that engaging in homosexual activity is sinful.
‘It’s a sin,’ Francis said, adding: ‘Let’s make the distinction first between sin and crime.’
Intrigue over Pope Francis’ remarks on same-sex civil unions. Significantly, the pope clarified that discriminating against others was also sinful, saying: ‘It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another, so what about that?’
Pope signals support for same-sex unions in departure from Catholic Church stance on gay rights.
Catholic Church teaching says that gay people must be welcomed into the church and treated with respect and kindness, despite the fact that homosexual acts are considered ‘intrinsically disordered.’
Francis has not changed this teaching, and in 2021 the Vatican doctrinal office decreed that the church could not bless same-sex unions because ‘God cannot bless sin.’
However, Pope Francis has repeatedly championed homosexual rights and advocated for inclusion of LGBTQ people in Catholic life.
Francis said the church ‘must’ work to get unjust laws abolished around the world.
Same-sex sexual acts are considered crimes in some 67 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, according to the Human Dignity Trust organization.
In 11 of those countries, punishment can include the death penalty.
More than a dozen U.S. states still have laws against sodomy, despite the Supreme Court declaring them unconstitutional in 2003.
Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize 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 recognize the dignity of everyone.
‘These bishops have to have a process of conversion,’ he said, adding that they should apply ‘tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.’
Supreme Court weighs LGBTQ discrimination case.
The pope also blasted a movement in Germany called the ‘Synodal Path,’ in which bishops and lay people are examining the possibility of controversial church reforms such as allowing priests to marry, and permitting female deacons and church blessings for same sex couples.
While Francis didn’t specifically address the issues under discussion, he discredited the process as neither serious nor helpful, and said it was being led by an ‘elite’ and did not represent ‘all the people of God.’
Earlier this week, the Vatican shot down a proposal by German bishops to establish a new governing body for the German church, which would be composed of both bishops and laypeople.
Francis’ comments, which were hailed by gay rights advocates as a milestone, are the first uttered by a pope about such laws.
But they are also consistent with his overall approach to LGBTQ people and belief that the Catholic Church should welcome everyone and not discriminate.
