Pope gay sin

Pope Francis’ interview with Associated Press also addressed the question of the Church and homosexuality. 

The Pope was asked what the Church should do in places where the legal norms "contribute to a climate of violence and discrimination against the gay and trans community."

Pope Francis said that even if the Church considers it a sin for homosexual people to have relationships with each other, these norms are unjust.

Days later, in a letter sent to Jesuit Father James Martin, who is involved in the pastoral care of the LGTBQ community, the Pope further explained his comment. 

He said that sexual relations between people of the same sex are a sin because for the Church "every sexual verb outside of marriage is a sin."

At the matching time, Pope Francis explained that "there are circumstances that diminish or nullify guilt" and that, in any case, it is always wrong to "criminalize homosexuality."

Once again, Pope Francis has called on Catholics to welcome and accept LGBTQ people.

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” the pope said in an interview with The Associated Press on Jan. 24, , adding, “let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.” He later issued a note clarifying that his remarks on “sin” referred to sexual activity outside of marriage. During the interview, Francis also called for the relaxation of laws around the world that target LGBTQ people.

Francis’ long history of making similar comments in support of LGBTQ people’s dignity, despite the church’s rejection of homosexuality, has provoked plenty of criticism from some Catholics. But I am a common theologian, and part of what interests me about this debate is that Francis’ inclusiveness is not actually radical. His remarks generally correspond to what the church teaches and calls on Catholics to do.

‘Who am I to judge?’

During the first year of Francis’ papacy, when asked about LGBTQ people, he famously replied, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has adj will, who am I to judge?” – setting t