Pope Francis this Saturday clarified his recent remarks on homosexuality and sin, clarifying that he was referring exclusively to the Church’s Catholic moral teaching, which claims that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin.
In an informational note quoted by the Associated Press (AP), the head of the Catholic Church noted that even this teaching—only in a dimension between two opposing sides—is subject to conditions that can completely eliminate sin.
Pope Francis first made the relevant comments in a Jan. 24 interview with the AP agency, stating that the laws criminalizing homosexuality are “unjust” and that “being gay is not a crime.”
At the time, as is his custom, Francis envisioned a conversation with someone who raised the issue of the Church’s official teaching that homosexual acts are sinful or “intrinsically disordered.”
“Okay, but first let’s distinguish between sin and crime,” Francis said in the fictional conversation. “It is also a sin not to have charity towards each other,” he added, quoted again by the AP.
The Pope’s comments in favor of decriminalizing homosexuality were immediately hailed by LGBTQ advocates as a milestone that would help end harassment and violence against LGBTQ people. However, his reference to “sin” raised questions about whether the pope believed that simply being gay was a sin.
Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit who leads the Outreach parish for LGBTQ Catholics in the United States, sought clarification from the head of the church and posted the pope’s handwritten response to the Outreach website on Friday.
In the note, Pope Francis reaffirmed that homosexuality “is not a crime” and said he had spoken on the subject “to emphasize that criminalization is neither good nor fair.”
“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,” Francis wrote in Spanish, underlining the last sentence.
However, he noted that even this Catholic teaching of the Church is subject to consideration of circumstances, “which may reduce or eliminate the error.”
The pope acknowledged that he could have been clearer in his comments to the AP, justifying his use of “natural and informal language” in the interview, which did not require precise definitions.
“As you can see, I was repeating something in general. I should have said, ‘It is a sin, like any sexual act outside of marriage. This is to talk about the issue of sin, but we know very well that the Catholic morality not only takes the issue into account, but also evaluates freedom and intention, for all kinds of sins.”
About 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or will carry the death penalty, says “The Human Dignity Trust,” which is working to end these criminal laws based on sexual and religious morality.
Experts argue that even if such criminalizing laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatization and violence against LGBTQ people.
Catholic teaching prohibits same-sex marriage, stating that the sacrament of marriage is a lifelong bond between a man and a woman. At the same time, it prohibits artificial contraception.
During his pontificate, Pope Francis has maintained this teaching but has made reaching out to LGBTQ people a priority. Therefore, he advocated a more compassionate approach to the application of Church teaching, to guide rather than condemn people.
Source: DN
