The AP Interview: Pope says homosexuality not a crime

[sarisataka]

Source: AP via Yahoo

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 exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.

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 the issue in terms of “sin.” But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.

“These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said, adding that they should apply “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us."

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/ap-interview-pope-francis-homosexuality-070056369.html

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It's a step...

[Jirel]

1. No, it's not a step.

Fact: homosexuality is not a crime in a lot of countries… except where it actually is. The pope saying it’s not a crime is meaningless, except as relates to the Vatican.

Fact: saying that homosexuality is a sin just supports the countries that choose to make it a crime, or that are attempting to make it one, and emboldens criminal bigots who want to break up things like Drag Queen Story Hour with guns and tacticool gear in a show of force.

So it is neither anything new, nor progressive, nor an improvement. F the Catholic Church, and F Frances.

[Laha]

11. I do agree, mostly

However I never thought I'd live to see the day where the pope said it. His words do have meaning to a lot of people, so it might only be the tiniest little bit of a step. But it is still a step.

Until some meaningful change happens though, yes. F them all.

[Javaman]

2. I would follow up with; show me where it's written that it's a sin? nt

[Sky Jewels]

3. Why does anyone pay any attention to ANY of the bullshit spewed by this

geriatric grifting/child rape/women-hating ring known as the RCC? They've had a reign of terror for centuries. It's time for humans to tell them to STFU for good. Stop supporting them with money and butts in the pews (even if your particular parish or priest or whatever is "good" ) -- the Vatican is sitting on untold billions.

[twodogsbarking]

4. Question is "Do homosexuals think the church is a crime?"

[RussBLib]

5. After how many hundreds of years?

Half the damn clergy is gay, yet they oppose homosexuality due to the shame foisted upon it by churches everywhere. Pretty sad state of affairs.

[samsingh]

6. hopefully this direction will continue. Good for the Pope.

[PlutosHeart]

7. Go Francis!

He has said and done many things that sadly make him a target of conservatives. He is a good man.

[peppertree]

13. Hear, hear

Right-wingers even target him in his native Argentina - mainly because he opposed Trump's pal Macri (who left a hideous debt bubble collapse during his 2015-19 tenure).

But also because of precisely this kind of stance - and the fact that Francis strategically opted to stay on the sidelines when abortion was finally legalized there in 2020.

Many on the Catholic right interpreted his silence as "complicity" - and they were probably right.

Francis' silence may have been the determining factor, as it persuaded numerous centrist Catholic lawmakers - who had been on the fence (or had also voted against legalization in 2018) - to vote yea.

So you can imagine, RW Argentine cable news targets him quite a bit - and RW social media trolls? Fuhgedabouit!

[iluvtennis]

9. Ditto. n/t

[The Jungle 1]

8. I have left a lot of very religious people speechless with this question

There are hundreds of animals that have homosexual relationships. Wiki lists 500.
Christianity teaches us that God is omnipotent. If God does not like homosexuality, and God is omnipotent, why would God create so many homosexual animals? If God is omnipotent why would he allow these animals to practice homosexuality.

I have never gotten an answer to that question. I actually find it kinda fun to ask. Sometimes I will add some humor and say. Well maybe on day seven things were getting a little hectic. Or maybe God was just goofing around a little. After all God made cicadas and that is one strange bug. They just sit in the ground and every 17 years they come out. I am pretty sure Darwin can't explain Cicadas. I am going with a divine joke.

[peppertree]

10. They start whining "Well, I just think it's sick!"

As a gay co-worker of mine liked to say: "don't knock 'til you've tried it."

[The Jungle 1]

16. I agree they have no real logic on the issue

What they have is hate for something/anything that is different.

[peppertree]

18. Yeah. Arguing with most Republicans is like arguing with kids.

You can't get anywhere, because they're not arguing with you - they're just contradicting you.

And the 'smarter' ones have all the Limbaugh/Mark Levin lines down pat - and they come fast and furious.

[The Jungle 1]

17. I wonder how many times someone tried it?

That is a great line.
I used to say, I know what you want just ask. It never worked.
Another reply for when a girl was being nasty. I am gonna have you tonight. Your probably not gonna be there but I am gonna

[peppertree]

19. *snort*

[summer_in_TX]

14. My college professor for comparative psychology

(comparing humans and animals) showed us the research that the percentage of individual animals of various species that expressed homosexual behaviors increased with population density. I believed then and have no information to the contrary that it is a natural genetic factor that the species retain to help deal with population changes. When the food supply is high and populations explode, that trait shows up in a higher percentage than when there's scarcity and surviving individuals need to reproduce more to maintain optimum population levels.

That was nearly 50 years ago. I imagine there's a lot more documentation now.

[IbogaProject]

12. Great just the opinion we need

An elderly white guy who is supposedly celibate is just the person to decide issues surrounding sexuality.

[summer_in_TX]

15. Good for him.

He's taking a stand that will bring further vilification from the conservatives, but it brings hope and perhaps healing for many gay Catholics.

Since most other Christian denominations do not have one single head who speaks with what is considered almost the voice of God, what a pope says (any pope) is heard and widely distributed.

This is a ground-shaking change for the Roman Catholic Church. I hope it spreads far and wide. Not the part about it being a sin of course; it is not. But the part where there should not be criminalization of homosexuality.

Just yesterday, Ken Paxton invited court cases to restore sodomy laws and said he'd defend that view. An evil man. The pope is imperfect but he tries hard to follow the model of Jesus. Best pope of many centuries as far as I can tell.

[honest.abe]

20. I know many have zero respect for Catholicism but this is a positive progressive statement.

It will have impact.