Vatican, 30 Jan. 23 / 11:08 am (ACI).- “It is not the first time I have spoken about homosexuality and homosexuals. And I wanted to clarify that it is not a crime to underline that any criminalization is neither good nor fair”, said the pope in a letter in Spanish, dated January 27, sent to the Jesuit priest James Martin, who directs the “LGBTQ Catholic resource” (acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) called Outreach. In an interview with the news agency Associated Press (AP)on Wednesday (25) the pope said that homosexuality is not a crime, but it is a sin.
“When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin,” he continued. “Of course, circumstances must also be considered, which lessen or nullify guilt. As you can see, I was repeating a general thing”, justified the pope to the priest. “I should have said ‘it’s a sin, just like any sexual act outside of marriage’. we know well that Catholic morality, in addition to matter, values freedom, intention; and this, for every type of sin”.
THE Catechism gives Church Catholic (CIC) says, in number 2,357: “Homosexuality designates relationships between men or women, who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction towards people of the same sex. It has taken on a variety of forms, across centuries and cultures. Its psychic genesis remains largely unexplained. Relying on Sacred Scripture, which presents them as serious depravities, Tradition has always declared that “acts of homosexuality are intrinsically disordered”. They are contrary to the natural law, they close the sexual act to the gift of lifedo not proceed from a true sexual affective complementarity, cannot, under any circumstances, be approved”.
According to Francisco, “in a televised interview, in which people spoke naturally and in colloquial language, it is understandable that precisions were not made”.
In the interview, Pope Francis said that “the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that people with homosexual tendencies must be accepted, they must not be marginalized”, quoting number 2359 of the CIC.
“If there is a person who seeks God and is sincere, who am I to judge him. There is the Lord,” the pope said, repeating what he had said on his trip back from Brazil in 2013.
For the pope, the attitudes of some countries where homosexuality is prohibited by law are unfair. According to the BBC, the UK’s public communications company, there are 69 countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean where homosexuality is a crime, including South Sudan, where the pope is traveling this week.
“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength each of us fights for our dignity. Being homosexual is not a crime. It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Alright, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime. But it is also a sin to lack charity towards one another,” the pope said.
He then stated that “no one should be discriminated against”. “Each man and woman should have a window in their life where they can pour out their hope and where they can see the dignity of God. And being gay is not a crime. It’s a human condition,” he said.
In addition, he encouraged the Church to contribute to the repeal of the norms that persecute homosexuals, although he stressed that it is a matter of “cultures, cultures in a State, and the bishops from that place, although they are good bishops, they are part of the culture and some still have their minds in that culture”.
“But tenderness, please, tenderness, as God has with each one of us. Let’s go back to the three categories of God. God has three attitudes: closeness, mercy and tenderness. And these three are enough, the whole theology is there. God near, who is in my hand. A merciful God, who forgives me so many times. A tender God “, he concluded.
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