Pope Francis

By Ada Osadebe. Pope Francis has criticised laws that criminalise homosexuality as “unjust”, saying God loves all his children just the way they are.

It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. He said, “Being homosexual is not a crime.

The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has kicked against laws criminalising homosexuality saying God loves all his.

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” he said and called on Catholic bishops who support the anti-gay laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church. Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalise homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin.” He called on Catholic bishops who support the anti-gay laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean man who is a survivor of clergy sex abuse, about remarks by Pope Francis that criminalizing ...

Pope Francis has called for Catholic bishops who support the laws to warmly welcome LGBTQ individuals into the church, calling the laws that criminalize ...

Francis cited the Catholic Church’s Catechism in stating that homosexual individuals must be accepted and respected and should not be subjected to prejudice or discrimination. Pope Francis has called for Catholic bishops who support the laws to warmly welcome LGBTQ individuals into the church, calling the laws that criminalize homosexuality “unjust” and asserting that God loves all of his children exactly as they are. He said, “These bishops must go through a conversion process,” pleading with them to show “tenderness, please, as God has for each of us.”

In comments Catholic LGBTQ advocates described as “historic,” Pope Francis called for the worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality—making him the first ...

Deflating Gänswein’s narrative of tension between Benedict and Francis, the pope described his predecessor as “a good companion.” “In the face of a doubt, I would ask for the car and go to the monastery and ask,” he said. “You prefer that they don’t criticize, for the sake of tranquility,” he said. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is specifically “homosexual acts” that are “intrinsically disordered”; gay Catholics are “called to chastity.” “These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said. “They started to see my flaws and didn’t like them.” Francis’ papacy will mark a decade in March. “He was a great guy. However, given that few, if any, LGBTQ advocates appear to have focused on this particular phrasing from Francis, it seems that most observers have assumed that Francis is conflating homosexuality and “acting on homosexuality,” or otherwise not dwelling on the distinction. He famously said of gay priests, “ [Who am I to judge](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2013/07/pope-francis-on-gay-prists-who-am-i-to-judge.html)?” [a number](https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-ap-interview-highlights-8b9ec42afec4e0c0691a54f756b257bc) of other hot-button issues in the church, including rumors about Francis’s health. Either way, Francis is not changing anything about the church’s stance, which he has long affirmed. “It’s not a crime. But in making comments about laws, Francis is speaking to some of his own bishops.

The pope and Cardinal McElroy both made statements this week on L.G.B.T. issues, which have until recently not been discussed by church officials.

Taken alone, the pope’s comments calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality, along with the exhortation for Catholics to fight such laws, perhaps do not feel all that revolutionary, especially when read from a Western context. The pope’s willingness to speak thoughtfully about topics until very recently considered taboo in the church has given bishops the freedom to explore these topics even further. “It is a demonic mystery of the human soul why so many men and women have a profound and visceral animus toward members of the L.G.B.T. “The distinction between orientation and activity cannot be the principal focus for such a pastoral embrace because it inevitably suggests dividing the L.G.B.T. Houdart took issue with the language about sin, saying that the pope’s comments were “not a panacea.”) Bishops should seek to lead with “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.” At the same time, he has defended traditional church teaching on the subject, reminding Catholics that the church considers homosexual acts a sin and that marriage is reserved for one man and one woman. “This call for decriminalization will help save lives and promote respect for LGBTQ+ people, particularly in areas where law or social norms make them victims of fear, hatred, violence, and death,” Francis DeBernardo, the head of New Ways Ministry, said in a statement. “Overall, though, despite pleas from LGBTQ people suffering persecution, few bishops or bishops’ conferences have condemned the criminalizing laws that the pope rejected today, even though this is, after all, a life issue,” Father Martin wrote. He famously asked, “Who am I to judge?” when asked about gay priests in 2013, a phrase he referenced in this week’s interview, acknowledging that his assertion “bothered” some people. At the same time, some Catholics expressed hope that the pope’s early words of qualified support for L.G.B.T. 5, 2022, as justices hear arguments in the case of a Colorado website designer who refuses to create websites for same-sex marriages due to her Christian beliefs about traditional marriage.

Pope Francis says the same in Gaudete et Exsultate: “To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think ...

So let’s begin this wonderful adventure of love by responding to Christ’s love for us, “uniting ourselves to the Lord’s death and resurrection in a unique and personal way… The contemplation of these mysteries, as Saint Ignatius of Loyola pointed out, leads us to incarnate them in our choices and attitudes” (ibid. Here is an example: a woman goes shopping, she meets a neighbor and they begin to speak, and the gossip starts. Later, at home, one of her children wants to talk to her about his hopes and dreams, and even though she is tired, she sits down and listens with patience and love. Be holy by laboring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.

Pope Francis recently called for the decriminalization of homosexuality around the world, saying the Catholic Church should work to put an end to anti-LGBTQ ...

"Being compassionate, sensitive, and merciful, while staying faithful to moral teachings of the Christian faith are not mutually exclusive. Those experiencing same sex attraction deserve to participate in parish life and ministry, while receiving pastoral support in the form of spiritual guidance, community prayer support, fellowship and the assistance of God’s grace. What could that mean for the Catholic Church's relationship with the LGBTQ community?

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean man who is a survivor of clergy sex abuse, about remarks by Pope Francis that criminalizing ...

I mean, there's a lot a lot still to do in terms of abuse in the church. He's a man that is open to everybody, who holds the dignity of the person in the highest standards. The digital version was produced by Destinee Adams and edited by Majd Al-Waheidi. And I admire that in him. In a moment where the LGBT community all over the world needs it because it's being attacked, condemned, there's laws that criminalize it. Cruz, who is a member of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also dissents from Catholic teachings.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean man who is a survivor of clergy sex abuse, about remarks by Pope Francis that criminalizing ...

I mean, there's a lot a lot still to do in terms of abuse in the church. He's a man that is open to everybody, who holds the dignity of the person in the highest standards. The digital version was produced by Destinee Adams and edited by Majd Al-Waheidi. And I admire that in him. In a moment where the LGBT community all over the world needs it because it's being attacked, condemned, there's laws that criminalize it. Cruz, who is a member of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also dissents from Catholic teachings.

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis criticised laws that criminalise homosexuality as “unjust” and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome lesbian ...

Catholic teaching holds that while gay people must be treated with respect, homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered”. Yes, but it’s a sin. It must do this,” he said. “It must do this. “Being homosexual is not a crime," he said. Advertisement

Pope Francis has accepted the retirement of Bishop Joseph Francis Kweki Essien from the pastoral care of the Catholic Diocese of Wiawso in Ghana and ...

Born in May 1968 in the Diocese of Wiawso, the Bishop-elect Boateng started his Priestly formation at St. Peter’s Regional Major Seminary in Cape Coast. Samuel Nkuah-Boateng who has been serving as administrator of the Cathedral of Wiawso, as the successor of Bishop Essien.

His Holiness Pope Francis on Thursday appointed Reverend Father Samuel Nkuah-Boateng as the new Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wiawso in the Western ...

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This week on Inside the Vatican, Gerry and Ricardo discuss the new book by Cardinal Gerhard Müller which blasts Pope Francis and some of his actions, ...

What does this mean for people living there?](https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/06/30/pope-francis-south-sudan-sant-egidio-243285) Pope Francis will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan from Jan. Pope Francis has instructed all bishops traveling to Rome for the first main session of the Synod on Synodality this October to arrive four days early for a silent retreat. But perhaps most relevant to this episode, Pope Francis responded in the interview to his critics on many fronts. We look at the pope’s weeklong itinerary and tease out the pope’s reasons for making this first-ever visit to these two sub-Saharan African countries long blighted by famine and civil unrest, but filled with hope. The pope has also called the leaders of Christian churches and their faithful to assemble with him in Rome ahead of the Synod to pray for its success alongside the Catholic faithful and bishops who will be there.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay Chilean man who is a survivor of clergy sex abuse, about remarks by Pope Francis that criminalizing ...

I mean, there's a lot a lot still to do in terms of abuse in the church. He's a man that is open to everybody, who holds the dignity of the person in the highest standards. The radio interview with Juan Carlos Cruz was produced by Kaity Kline. The LGBT community is very in his heart. In a moment where the LGBT community all over the world needs it because it's being attacked, condemned, there's laws that criminalize it. Cruz, who is a member of the Vatican's Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also dissents from Catholic teachings.

Critics within the church are lining up to sink the boot into the 86-year-old, who has brought a more socially progressive agenda than his recent forebears ...

“We live in a moment of change, a change of the era ... He has said Benedict “opened the door” to future resignations, and that he, too, would consider stepping down. “For me, he was a security. “I lost a good companion.” He sidestepped questions about how the Vatican’s relationship with Taiwan affects the dialogue. “We are taking steps,” Francis said. He warned in The Times of London this week, “You cannot strike deals with the Devil.” Pope Pius XII, who led the church during World War II, was accused of failing to denounce the round-up of Jews in Germany for fear of Nazi reprisals. He has trips planned for Africa this month and Portugal in August. But added: “He was a great guy. A posthumous offering from Benedict, What Christianity Is, also condemned his leadership. Traditionalist factions within Rome are clamouring to anoint a next-in-line.