ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis says gays — and all the other people the church has marginalized, such as the poor and the exploited — deserve an apology.
Francis was asked Sunday en route home from Armenia if he agreed with one of his top advisers, German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who told a conference in Dublin in the days after the deadly Orlando gay club attack that the church owes an apology to gays for having marginalized them.
Francis responded with a variation of his famous “Who am I to judge?” comment and a repetition of church teaching that gays must not be discriminated against but treated with respect.
He said some politicized behaviors of the homosexual community can be condemned for being “a bit offensive for others.” But he said: “Someone who has this condition, who has good will and is searching for God, who are we to judge?”
“We must accompany them,” Francis said.
“I think the church must not only apologize … to a gay person it offended, but we must apologize to the poor, to women who have been exploited, to children forced into labor, apologize for having blessed so many weapons” and for having failed to accompany families who faced divorces or experienced other problems.
Francis uttered his “Who am I to judge?” comment during his first airborne press conference in 2013, signaling a new era of acceptance and welcome for gays in the church. Francis followed up by meeting with gay and transgender faithful, and most significantly, by responding to claims that he met with anti-gay marriage campaigner Kim Davis during his U.S. visit. He said the only personal meeting he held in Washington was with his gay former student and his partner.
Despite such overtures, however, many gay Catholics are still waiting for progress after a two-year consultation of the church on family issues failed to chart concrete, new pastoral avenues for them.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, told reporters after Francis’ press conference that the pope wasn’t referring to a medical “condition” when he spoke of gays, but rather a lifestyle situation.
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This story has been corrected to show that the cardinal’s name is Reinhard Marx, not Karl.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I love this Pope, and I’m not even a Catholic. But you just know, the next time they’re forced to elect a Pope, they’re gonna make damn sure the next one is chosen to undo all the good stuff this Pope has said and done. The Church can only handle so much liberalism and tolerance without freaking out the old and staid religious hierarchy.
Well, yes, the Catholic Church owes gay people an apology, but they’re so far down on the list of people that the Catholic Church owes an apology to that it’s likely to be a long time coming. However, I also give Francis credit for realizing this.
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The only thing he realized was that the Church is marginalizing itself.
Oh, and I’m glad to be labeled has having a “condition.” Being gay is just like cancer don’t ya know!
I agree but I have to give props to him for even going there.