The AP: Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust,” saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.
“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.
Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against LGBTQ people, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin.” But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.
Why is the pope even talking about laws? Isn’t that the province of the state? Had someone approached him with a legal brief about local laws against homosexuality? Is he planning to testify at someone’s trial as a law professor?
No? No.
Jesus depends on the pope to point out bad laws, right? As a legal scholar?
Wait. That would be new. Remember when Dobbs overturned Roe v. Wade. Our Argentinian legal scholar in white had this to say:
Pope Francis has responded to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which returned power to regulate abortion to the individual states, saying he respected the decision, but had not studied it enough to comment on it from a juridic point of view. “I tell you the truth. I don’t understand it from a technical point of view,” he explained, adding, “I have to study it because I don’t really understand (the details of) the ruling 50 years ago and now I can’t say whether it did right or wrong from a judicial point of view.” However, he said, “I respect the decisions.”
Ah, non-commital legalese from the pope. Just what we need in this time of moral confusion.
He’s just sowing confusion which is what he does. That is his intention.
Are there Catholics out there who hate homosexuals? Sure. The vast majority of Catholics understand that we are all sinners. But you know what is actually being forgotten by many Catholics right now? The Church’s teaching on sexuality. Many are confused. One can go on Twitter right now and hear priests, bishops, and cardinals say varying things about sexual ethics and about life. Confusion reigns right now. And the pope takes this moment to add to the confusion.
We don’t need a third rate lawyer. We need a pope who will clarify Church teaching and promulgate it.
January 26, 2023 at 2:27 pm
I started to follow your blog because of its humor. Now it is filled with so much bitterness. I am saddened to see that the unhappiness has taken such a hold of you and I pray that you may find joy in the Gospel and the Catholic Faith once again.
There is nothing wrong for the pope to say that laws that make homosexuality a crime is wrong. We all need to speak out about the injustices that we see in this regard. He speaks about all matters not just abortion. Do you think that if the pope gave a lengthy teaching on human sexuality that the AP would actually print it? I am guessing that would be a hard no. Yet, the pope has spoken about abortion many times but do you write articles praising him for speaking out. That too is a hard no. Again if you read all of Pope Francis’ looking for “gotcha” moments, you will read it as the Pope teaching error. That is how a lot of traditionalists see him and bishops who do not speak verbatim how they think and worship.
January 26, 2023 at 6:46 pm
“ Why is the pope even talking about laws? Isn’t that the province of the state?”
But I’m guessing that if he was talking about how every country should enact laws to outlaw abortion, that would be perfectly fine with you?
The previous comment hit the nail on the head. You’re a bitter, hypocritical old man. Take a break from the conspiracy theories for a while. You’ll feel better.
January 29, 2023 at 8:37 pm
Once again this sorry excuse for a Catholic pope demonstrates his ignorance of basic Christianity. A person becomes a child of God by becoming a member of Christ’s body, the church. The notion that everyone is born a son or daughter of God is a false teaching. Sons of God are made, not born.
February 1, 2023 at 6:48 pm
“There is nothing wrong for the pope to say that laws that make homosexuality a crime is wrong.”
Homosexual actions, as a distortion of natural law, are not something someone has a right to perform, and thus the criminalization of such acts cannot be unjust. Stated the other way, for a law criminalizing homosexual actions to be unjust per se would entail that the sinful act itself is something someone is entitled by natural law to engage in.
There might be situations where laws proscribing such behavior are imprudent or prudential determinations about penalties, but it simply cannot be wrong or unjust per se without overthrowing the totality of Catholic moral theology.