1 of 1 Closeup shows Pope Francis on April 5, 2023 in St. Peter’s Square — Photo : Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP Closeup shows Pope Francis on April 5, 2023 in St. Peter’s Square — Photo : Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP
Pope Francis praised the virtues of sex in a documentary released Wednesday, describing it as “one of the beautiful things that God has given man”.
The 86yearold pope was commenting on the Disney+ production The Pope Answers, which chronicles a meeting he had in Rome last year with 10 people in their 20s.
They interviewed Francis on a variety of issues including LGBT rights, abortion, the porn industry, sex, faith and sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
“Sex is one of the beautiful things that God gave to humans,” he said in the documentary.
“Expressing yourself sexually is wealth. Anything that diminishes true sexual expression diminishes you and depletes that richness,” he said, referring to masturbation.
Francisco was also asked if he knew what a “nonbinary person” was, and he said he did. He reiterated that LGBT people should be welcomed into the Catholic Church.
This isn’t the first time he’s said that. See below an excerpt from a report in which he says parents should welcome their gay children.
Pope Francis urges parents to support gay children
“All men are children of God, all men. God rejects no one, God is a Father. And I have no right to expel anyone from the Church,” he said.
Regarding abortion, Francis said priests must be “merciful” to women who have terminated pregnancies, but said the practice remains unacceptable.