Pope Francis Finally Says Homosexuality Is Not Criminal, Now He Must Act
His AP interview is encouraging and troubling at the same time.
If you’re Roman Catholic or if you care deeply about social justice and love, you will probably resonate powerfully with this observation: Pope Francis is both infuriatingly homophobic and occasionally supportive of LGBTQ people. He often morally condemns us while counseling Catholics to treat us with respect and common human decency.
Yesterday, in a stunning exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Francis showed both sides of his often-conflicting face. His words were encouraging to say the least. Catholics all over the globe are cheering, and rightfully so. But certain indicators remain troubling.
The current Pope is infamous for saying kind words and then failing to act to give his words real life. Will that happen again? Let’s dive in.
The plain facts are simple and powerful
Yesterday, Francis told the AP that “being homosexual is not a crime,” in a reference to 67 nations worldwide that criminalize same-gender sex, 11 of which do so on penalty of death. Some of those nations are predominantly Roman Catholic, and many Catholic bishops, like Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea in…
