Posted on 01/28/2023 2:14 PM
(Image credit: Vincenzo PINTO / AFP)
Clarifying recent comments on homosexuality and sin, Pope Francis said he was simply referring to official Catholic moral teaching that any sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin. In a note on Friday 27th, the Argentine Pope recalled that this teaching too is subject to circumstances that can eliminate sin.
The Pope made his first statement on Tuesday in an interview with the Associated Press news agency, saying that laws criminalizing homosexuality are “unjust” and that “being gay is not a crime, it is a sin.”
“Well, first let’s distinguish between sin and crime. But a lack of charity is also a sin,” said the Pope at the time.
His words were hailed by LGBT+ activists as a milestone that would help end bullying and violence against people in the community. But his reference to “sin” raised the question of whether he believed that the mere fact of being gay was itself a sin.
James Martin, an American Jesuit who leads outreach for LGBT+ Catholics in the country, asked Francis for clarification and posted the pope’s handwritten response on the outreach website on Friday.
In his note, Francis reiterated that homosexuality “is not a crime” and said he was speaking “to emphasize that any criminalization is neither good nor fair”.
“When I said it was a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching that any sexual activity outside of marriage is a sin,” the pope wrote.
But, alluding to his casebycase pastoral approach, he noted that even this teaching is subject to consideration of circumstances “that mitigate or nullify guilt.”
He acknowledged he should have been clearer in his AP interview but said he used “natural, colloquial language” that didn’t require precise definitions.
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“As you can see, I repeated something general. I should have said it’s a sin, just like any sexual act outside of marriage. freedom, intention; and that for all kinds of sin,” said Francis.
About 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world criminalize consensual samesex relationships, and 11 of them can carry or carry the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust, which is working to end those laws.
Experts point out that laws, even when not enforced, contribute to harassment, stigma and violence against LGBT+ people.
During an interview with the AP, the pope also acknowledged that in some parts of the world, Catholic bishops support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBT+ community, labeling homosexuality a “sin.” However, he attributed these attitudes to cultural contexts and said that bishops in particular must also go through a process of change in order to recognize the dignity of all.
Catholic teaching prohibits samesex marriage on the grounds that the sacrament of marriage is a lifelong bond between a man and a woman. During his decadeslong pontificate, Francis has maintained this doctrine but made reaching out to the LGBT+ community a priority. In addition, he emphasized a more compassionate approach to applying the teachings to accompany people rather than condemn them.
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