Pope Francis said he wants LGBTQ Catholics to know that God is a father who “does not disown any of his children.”
The pope’s comment came in response to a question asked by Jesuit Father James Martin, a prominent catholic priest involved in gay ministry.
Martin posed three questions to the pope for the America magazine’s new website for LGBTQ catholics and their families
When asked, “What do you say to an LGBTQ Catholic who has experienced rejection from the church?” the pope replied, “I would have them recognise it not as ‘the rejection of the church,’ but instead of ‘people in the church’.”
“The church is a mother and calls together all her children,” he emphasised.
A church that is “selective” or makes some pretext about who is “pure,” Francis said, “is not the Holy Mother Church, but rather a sect.”
When asked what the most important thing LGBTQ people should know about God, Pope Francis responded, “God is Father, and he does not disown any of his children. And ‘the style’ of God is closeness, mercy and tenderness. Along this path you will find God.”
Martin also asked the pope what he would like LGBTQ people to know about the church. The pope responded that they should read the Acts of the Apostles. “There, they will find the image of the living church.”
The Catholic Catechism states that homosexual acts are ‘intrinsically disordered’, and last year Francis approved a decree barring priests from blessing gay couples, declaring that God “cannot bless sin.”
Despite this, throughout his nearly decade-long papacy, Francis has repeatedly tried to extend a warmer welcome to LGBTQ persons.
During a speech earlier this year reflecting on the challenges of parenting, the pope went off-script to tell parents not to condemn children with different sexual orientations.
“Never condemn your children,” said Francis. He added that parents should accompany such children and “not hide behind an attitude of condemnation.”
Sources