Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime in a new interview
Pope Francis called homosexuality laws “unjust,” saying God loves all his children exactly as they are and urging Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.
“Being homosexual is not a crime,” Francis said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Francis acknowledged that some Catholic bishops around the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue as “sin.” However, he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and he stated that bishops, in particular, must undergo a process of change in order to recognize the dignity of all people.
“These bishops must go through a conversion process,” he said, adding that they must show “tenderness, please, as God has for each of us.”
Francis’ remarks are the first by a pope on such legislation, but they are consistent with his overall approach to the LGBTQ community and his belief that the Catholic Church should welcome all people without discrimination.
According to The Human Dignity Trust, which works to end such laws, 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or do impose the death penalty. According to experts, even when laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigma, and violence against LGBTQ people.
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Despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring anti-sodomy laws unconstitutional, more than a dozen states still have them on the books.
Gay rights activists say the antiquated laws are being used to harass homosexuals, and they point to new legislation, such as Florida’s “Don’t say gay” law, which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as evidence of ongoing efforts to marginalize LGBTQ people.
The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to laws that criminalize homosexuality outright, claiming that they violate the rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination and are a violation of countries’ international legal obligations to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Francis called such laws “unjust,” and said the Catholic Church can and should work to end them. “It has to do this. “It has to do this,” he stated.
According to the Catholic Church’s Catechism, gay people must be welcomed and respected, and should not be marginalized or discriminated against.
“We are all God’s children, and God loves us for who we are and for the strength with which each of us fights for our dignity,” Francis told the Associated Press in the Vatican hotel where he is staying.
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Francis’ remarks come as he prepares to travel to Africa, where similar laws exist as they do in the Middle East. Many are from the British colonial era or are influenced by Islamic law. Some Catholic bishops strongly supported them as being consistent with Vatican teaching, while others called for their repeal as a violation of basic human dignity.
During a meeting with human rights groups that conducted research into the effects of such laws and so-called “conversion therapies” in 2019, Francis was expected to issue a statement opposing homosexual criminalization.
In the end, the pope did not meet with the groups after word of the audience leaked. Instead, the Vatican No. 2 did so, reaffirming “the dignity of every human being and the prohibition of all forms of violence.”
There was no indication that Francis was speaking out against such laws now because his more conservative predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, died recently. The subject had never been raised in an interview before, but Francis eagerly responded, citing statistics about the number of countries where homosexuality is illegal.
On Tuesday, Pope Francis stated that there must be a distinction between a crime and a sin when it comes to homosexuality.
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“It isn’t a crime. Yes, but it is a sin,” he explained. “All right, but first let’s differentiate between a sin and a crime.”
“It’s also a sin not to be charitable to one another,” he added.
While gay people must be treated with dignity, Catholic teaching holds that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.” Francis has not changed that teaching, but he has made outreach to the LGBTQ community a hallmark of his pontificate.
Francis has repeatedly and publicly ministered to the gay and trans community, beginning with his famous 2013 declaration, “Who am I to judge?” when asked about a purportedly gay priest. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he advocated for legal protections for same-sex couples rather than approving gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.
Despite such outreach, the Catholic LGBTQ community chastised Francis for a 2021 decree from the Vatican’s doctrine office that stated the church cannot bless same-sex unions.
In 2008, the Vatican refused to sign a United Nations declaration calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality, claiming that the text went beyond its original scope. The Vatican urged countries at the time to avoid “unjust discrimination” against gay people and to abolish penalties against them.
