Pope Francis said during an interview Tuesday that same-sex relationships “are not a crime” and called laws criminalizing homosexuality “unjust.”
At the Vatican, the pontiff said God loves everyone just the way they are and called on Catholics to do more to welcome people from the LGBTQ community to church. He also encouraged them to support laws that allow homosexual practices.
“Being gay is not a crime,” Francis told The Associated Press.
In the midst of his statements, Francis said that it was necessary to distinguish between a legal offense and a religious sin regarding homosexual practices: “It is not a crime. Yes, but it is a sin. Well, but first, let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.”
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Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Vatican, Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The Pope added: “It is also a sin to lack charity with one another.”
The Pope also addressed how some Catholic bishops support laws that criminalize homosexuality in some parts of the world. He, too, referred to the issue in terms of “sin,” but said bishops and others should go through a process to change their thinking and recognize the dignity of all people.
“These bishops have to undergo a conversion process,” he said, saying that bishops must observe the same “tenderness, as God has for each one of us.”
The Associated Press reported that 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world have laws on the books criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual activity. Of these countries, 11 can or do impose the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust.
Activists from the Italian gay rights association Arcigay hold banners and flags during a demonstration in front of the Vatican, Tuesday, January 13, 2009.
(AP Photo/Sandro Pace)
Such laws, even if not enforced, can contribute to harassment, violence or allow people to become stigmatized against LGBTQ people, according to the United Nations, which has repeatedly called for an end to such laws.
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The UN also said that such laws violate the rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. They are also a violation of international law to protect the human rights of all people, according to the international body.
Francis called these laws “unjust” and said the Catholic Church could and should work to end them. “You must do this. You must do this,” he emphasized.
Francis also said that homosexuals should be welcomed and respected: “We are all children of God, and God loves us just as we are and for the strength with which each one of us fights for our dignity.”
Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Vatican, Tuesday, January 24, 2023.
(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
The pope has made embracing the LGBTQ community a hallmark of his papacy, but has not challenged or changed Catholic teachings, which say people should be treated with respect but that homosexuality is “inherently disordered.”
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Francis has repeatedly and publicly ministered to the gay and trans community and once favored granting legal protections to same-sex couples without fully endorsing gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.
Despite the appreciable comments, the pontiff has been careful not to use the Vatican’s doctrine office to support or bless same-sex unions “because God cannot bless sin,” he said in 2021.
Pope Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to homosexuality in terms of “sin.”
(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Such laws imposing the death penalty for homosexuality are common in Africa and the Middle East, some of which are inspired by Islamic law.
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Catholic bishops are somewhat divided on the issue, with some holding to a literal interpretation of Scripture and not recognizing homosexual relationships, while others are calling for laws against homosexuality to be repealed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
