Pope Francis strikes more conciliatory tone on gay clergy
By Guy Dinmore in Rome
Pope Francis has challenged his doctrinaire predecessor’s opinions on gay priests while upholding Church dogma that bans the ordination of women.
Flying back to Rome from his week-long visit to Brazil, the pontiff took reporters’ questions for 80 minutes in his first press conference since he was elected by cardinals to replace Pope Benedict XVI in March.
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Unlike his predecessor who would only answer a few pre-scripted questions, the 76-year-old Argentine Jesuit fielded all issues unprompted, ranging from the so-called “gay lobby” in the Vatican to accusations of corruption involving its bank.
“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?’’ the pontiff said in remarks that Vatican reporters saw as the most conciliatory on the issue of gay priests expressed by any pope. In line with Church teaching, Francis said gays should not be judged or marginalised but integrated into society, while maintaining that homosexual acts are a sin.
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What the Pope is saying is that if someone is gay but resists homosexual activities he can still be a priest. That person is no different than someone else who wants to be a priest but has “sinned” in some other way. As long as that person is committed to rejecting the “sin” the Pope is saying is who are any of us to judge that person or refuse to allow them to serve God as priests. This is in line with the concept “hate the sin, love the sinner” which has long been part of the Christian belief system.