Christians should apologise to gay people says Pope Francis
Pope Francis. / AFP PHOTO / TIZIANA FABI
Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should apologise to gay people and seek their forgiveness for the way they have been treated.
Speaking to reporters at he flew back to Rome from Armenia, the pope was asked if he agreed with comments by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx that the Church needed to say sorry for the way it has treated the gay community.
“We Christians have to apologise for so many things, not just for this (treatment of gay people), but we must ask for forgiveness. Not just apologise — forgiveness,” he said.
“The questions is: if a person who has that condition, who has good will, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?” the pope added, repeating his famous “Who am I to judge?” remark about homosexuality made early in his papacy.
That comment was one of the first indications that the Vatican under Pope Francis’ leadership would take a more conciliatory approach to the gay community, but also prompted criticism from the Church’s more conservative members.
Francis expanded his apology to also include other people who have faced discrimination.
“I think that the Church not only should apologise… to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been forced to work.”
The comments come just two weeks after the Orlando massacre at a gay nightclub in which 49 people were killed.
At the time the Holy See condemned the attack as a “homicidal folly and senseless hatred”.
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18 Comments
Well, the Roman Catholic Church can apologize but NOT christians or the Church that is bought by the blood of Jesus Christ
Who are we to judge? God is capable of that.
God bless you! I’m a Catholic, but must ask the pope to apologize to them himself, and not Catholic members. He should speak for himself only. I have never trusted this pope right from the word go, and would not like to use harsh words on him to avoid blasphemy, because his altitude is capable of pushing one to blasphem.
The pope acknowledged the homosexuals are living with a condition, but has failed to understand they have not accepted that something is wrong with them spiritually, and seek for help, rather they want it to be a way of life. The day this pope would let out what is on his mind about homosexualism, you would witness a massive exodus of members of Catholic all over the world, mark my word.
Mr Emeka who are you to jugde the gay people, if you are a good Christian the best u could is to pray for this people not judging them. Don’t forget if we are been judge by our sins who will survive..
Catholics are Christian and is the church Jesus Christ left on earth.
Jesus Christ was called a friend of sinners, because he went to them. How can we save the sinners? By running away from then? by creating their own ward? By asking them not to come to church? How shall they here that to sin is not good? How can a sinner be delivered from the spirit of sin? WHO IS A SINNER IN THIS MY WRITE-UP ?
…this is just my common sens question
Proud people, be they of whatever religion, do NOT apologize. Satan is yet to do so.
The Roman Catholic Church is a Church of Mercy, that is why there is the Sacrament of Confession. It is not the Church of “Holy Ghost fire!!!”. It is a Church that celebrates the goodness and compassion of God to all his creatures in all their situations. The Roman Catholic Church does not pretend to be “holier than thou” or “saved” even facing daily sin. It is a Church that walks through the road of mercy, being daily transformed by the action of the Holy Spirit. It is not a Church that judges and condemns, but one that mediates mercy and pardon of our heavenly Father, who forgives his people because they do not know what they do. She keeps real with the joys and hopes, and the pains and sorrows of the modern world. Lose no sleep about that. All that is what the Pope is saying. Never take him out of context. Long live the Roman Catholic Church!
God bless you, proud to be a Catholic and I am in support of the Pope, who am I to judge, may God forgive us for our hypocritical acts.
And that’s why you should remain in sin that grace may abound and the bible says God forbid.Sacrament of confession is not the key to holiness.You people believe in sin and confess than living a holy life
The pharisees still exist. Who gave you authority to judge the Catholics and their practices?
Some of us seem to misunderstand the Pope. He said we need to ask for forgiveness on all those that have been unjustly treated and not just gay persons .But talking about gay persons, You should ask yourself, how will Jesus treat a gay person? Send him away from the church? Discriminate against him? Or treat him with love? We tend to want to be holier than Jesus sometimes.
Then how best do you intend to win the war against the ill-wind of homosexuality & lesbianism.? Catholics can go ahead and worship them as well or even bring them into their churches and make them mass servants for fear of criticism but beware, its as grave as at the time of Sodom & Gomorrah but this time all those in its support will give account. “Who are we to judge.?” is now a palliative comment to hide the truth…….
Actually there is no surprise. Christians were more inclined to sodomy as revealed thus: “Also I have seen a horrible thing in the prophets of Jerusalem: They commit adultery and walk in lies; They also strengthen the hands of evildoers, So that no one turns back from his wickedness. All of them are like Sodom to Me, And her inhabitants like Gomorrah” (Jeremiah 23:14 New King James Version (NKJV). The rampant homosexuality and child abuse by the Priests and Cardinals in the Vatican testify that.
I doubt if pope Francis is born again. He can speak as a politician but not as a christian to win votes. Let him read Psalm 1…, Duet 28 : 1. Bible says that since they refused to fear God, God give them to reprobate mind and they started to do what is not convenience. And the fear of god is the beginning of wisdom. Being a pope does not mean that he is born again because the bible says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and by their fruits you will know them.
The pope has the right to tell his congregation whatever he wants to tell them do and it is left for those that want to obey to do so but telling Christians to do so is overstepping his bounds. Remember Christians are those that have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and He lives in them, they are not church goers or some religious body.
Roman catholic leaders are gradually playing out the prophecy in the book of revelation concerning the last days. When these things begin to happen, know that the end is nearer than we imagine.
Some comments here remind me of the Pharisees. They quote the Scripture to condemn people, forgetting the passages concerning the mercy of God. They would be the ones to stone “sinners” to death like the Pharisees. And for those who ain’t Catholics, this year is the Church’s jubilee year of mercy and so the Pope’s comment should be interpreted within that context. Love the sinner, hate the sin!
i think this pope is also a gay.
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