Pope gay sin
Once again, Pope Francis has called on Catholics to welcome and accept LGBTQ people.
“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” the pope said in an interview with The Associated Press on Jan. 24, , adding, “let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.” He later issued a note clarifying that his remarks on “sin” referred to sexual activity outside of marriage. During the interview, Francis also called for the relaxation of laws around the nature that target LGBTQ people.
Francis’ long history of making similar comments in support of LGBTQ people’s dignity, despite the church’s rejection of homosexuality, has provoked plenty of criticism from some Catholics. But I am a common theologian, and part of what interests me about this debate is that Francis’ inclusiveness is not actually radical. His remarks generally correspond to what the church teaches and calls on Catholics to do.
‘Who am I to judge?’
During the first year of Francis’ papacy, when asked about LGBTQ people, he famously replied, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has excellent will, who am I to judge?” – setting t
Pope Francis clarifies comments on homosexuality: &#;One must reflect on the circumstances.&#;
This week, in an interview with the Associated Press, Pope Francis became the first pope to call for the decriminalization of homosexuality. It was an historic step towards the Catholic Church&#;s protection of vulnerable LGBTQ people around the society. (Read our coverage of the pope&#;s recent remarks here.)
During his interview, the Holy Father imagined a hypothetical conversation in which a person might protest by saying, &#;Being gay is a sin,&#; and the pope suggested a response: &#;It&#;s also a sin to lack aid with one another.&#;
Some media outlets, however, ascribed these sentiments directly to the pope, even though church teaching does not state that the lesbian orientation itself is a sin. As the pope said in his interview, as he has on other occasions: &#;It is a human condition.&#;
To help clarify things, Outreach asked the Holy Father three questions, in Spanish, and received a written response from him. We framed these questions as an interview, in organize th
Pope Francis says homosexuality is a sin but not a crime
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his unending power and excellent nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the undying God for images made to glance like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rath
Stances of Faiths on Gay Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, with approximately billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.
The Catholic Church in the United States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the anchor of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global organization with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leadership that is entirely male, with w