Pope Francis said today that homosexuality is not a crime and called laws criminalizing homosexuality “unjust”.
“Being gay is not a crime, it’s a sin,” the pope said in an interview with the Associated Press.
The religious also said that God loves all his children as they are and asked the Catholic bishops to welcome people from the LGBTQIA+ community to the church.
In the conversation, Francis recalled the need to distinguish between sin and crime, affirming that “it is also a sin not to love one another” and acknowledging that bishops support laws criminalizing homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQIA+ population.
However, according to the Argentine, this type of attitude is linked to cultural origin, which means that bishops must go through a process of change in order to recognize the dignity of all citizens.
“These bishops must go through a process of conversion,” said Jorge Bergoglio, adding that religious “must please exercise tenderness as God has done for each of us.”
According to the publication, at least 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world criminalize consensual samesex sexual activity. 11 of them can or do use the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust, which is responsible for fighting these kinds of laws.
For the Pope these laws are “unjust” and therefore the Church can and must fight to end them.
Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, he stressed that homosexuals must be welcome and respected and not marginalized or discriminated against.
“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the vigor with which each of us fights for our dignity,” Francis told the AP.
Already on January 20, the Holy Father gave another sign of openness towards homosexuals in the Catholic Church by saying that “God does not deny any of his children”.
The Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality is a sin, but Bergoglio has maintained a more open stance throughout his pontificate. However, this attitude has even earned him accusations of heresy from ultraconservative bishops.
Health and Benedict 16
During the interview, the Pope spoke about his health condition, the death of Benedict XVI. on December 31, stating that he had not considered issuing norms to regulate future papal resignations.
“I am in good health. I’m normal for my age,” said the 86yearold pope, who revealed that “diverticulosis bulging of the intestinal wall has returned”.
The Pope also revealed that he suffered a small fracture in his knee as a result of a fall and that it healed without surgery after undergoing laser and magnetic therapy. ” “I may die tomorrow, but everything is under control. I’m in good health,” he added with his usual sense of humor.
As for Benedict XVI, Francis praised the pope emeritus as a “gentleman”. “I lost a father”. “To me he was a security guard.
If in doubt, I would ask for the car and go to the monastery and ask,” says the religious about his visits to Joseph Ratzinger’s house for advice.