In an interview with the AP news agency, Pope Francis called laws criminalizing homosexuality worldwide “unjust”. He also reiterated that homosexuality is a “sin.”
The Pope affirms the teaching of the Church. In an interview with the American press agency Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday, he estimated that the laws criminalizing homosexuality worldwide were “unfair”, he also explained that this sexual orientation is a “fishing”.
“Being gay is not a crime,” he told the AP. “It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.”
“It’s also a sin not to have charity for one another,” he added.
When asked about the stance of priests who support discrimination against LGBT people, Pope Francis said they should rather engage in a “process of conversion” and show “tenderness.”
A position confirmed by the Vatican
In 2021 the establishment of Vatican The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is responsible for establishing and preserving Catholic dogma, had already emphasized that the Church regards homosexuality as a “sin”.
When asked, “Does the church have the power to bless same-sex couples? sin can bless”.
The institution concluded that “the Church neither has nor can have the power to bless associations of persons of the same sex”, recalling that this text had been approved by the Pope.