Gay francis
Pope apologizes after being quoted using vulgar term about gay priests
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis' comments, which were delivered behind closed doors to Italian bishops.
Pope Francis apologized on Tuesday, May 28, after he was quoted using a vulgar legal title about gays to reaffirm the Catholic Church's ban on lgbtq+ priests.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement acknowledging the media storm that erupted about Francis' comments, which were delivered behind closed doors to Italian bishops on May
Italian media on Monday had quoted unnamed Italian bishops in reporting that Francis jokingly used the term "faggotness" while speaking in Italian during the encounter. He had used the term in reaffirming the Vatican's ban on allowing queer men to enter seminaries and be ordained priests.
Bruni said Francis was aware of the reports and recalled that the Argentine pope, who has made outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics a hallmark of his papacy, has drawn-out insisted there was "room for everyone" in the Catholic C
'Pope Francis was game-changer for LGBT Catholics'
Pope Francis was a "real game-changer" when it came to the Catholic Church's treatment of gay people, a London LGBT+ faith group has said.
Martin Pendergast, the secretary of the LGBT+ Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council, said the pontiff had turned away from "really quite offensive" statements made by his predecessors on issues of sexuality and gender identity.
While Pope Francis maintained the Vatican's position that homosexual acts were sinful, he said gay people should not be marginalised from the Church, adding: "Who am I to judge?"
The LGBT+ Catholics Westminster group met the Pope at the Vatican in , which Mr Pendergast said caused controversy.
"More conservative Catholics were up in arms because they saw this as the Pope affirming an LGBT group such as we were and are," he said.
He described the meeting as a "very significant step" in improving the Church's relations with the LGBT+ comm
Pope Francis says 'Being queer is not a crime', but still thinks it's a 'sin'
In an interview with the Related Press, Pope Francis spoke out against laws criminalizing homosexuality and called on members of the clergy to be charitable to others.
Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as "unjust," saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.
"Being homosexual isn’t a crime," Francis said during an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.
Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the planet support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of "sin." But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular desire to "have a process of conversion," adding that they should apply "tenderness, [] as God has for each one of us."
Some 67 countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity,
Seven Quotes That Craft Pope Francis Complicated for LGBTQ+ People
Francis' tenure as pope has also been notable by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) people for his adoption of a more conciliatory tone toward LGBTQ+ people than that of his predecessors. "But anyone who utters Christian words without putting them into practice hurts oneself and others," said Pope Francis in
So where does Pope Francis stand on LGBTQ+ people?
ON INCLUSION
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"If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?"
Let's start off with one of the most pivotal moments in Francis' papacy for LGBTQ+ people. When asked about gay priests during a spontaneous exchange with the press, he responded, "If they [gay priests] accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to determine them? They shouldn't be marginalized. The tendency [same-sex attraction] is not the problem they're our brothers."1
The fact that Pope Francis made such a comment – and used the word "gay" in English – was radical, and helped propel significant conversations in parishes and dioce