Pope Francis: Difference between revisions

Francis has marked a significantly more accommodative tone on [[Outline of LGBT topics|LGBT topics]] than his predecessors.<ref name="Molloy-2013">{{Cite web |last=Molloy |first=Parker Marie |date=19 December 2013 |title=Op-ed: Pope Francis Has Not Made Good on Transgender Rights |url=https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2013/12/19/op-ed-pope-francis-has-not-made-good-transgender-rights |access-date=26 January 2024 |website=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |language=en}}</ref> In July 2013, his televised "Who am I to judge?" statement was widely reported in the international press, becoming one of his most famous statements on [[LGBT]] people.<ref name="Pullella-2016">{{Cite web |last=Pullella |first=Philip |date=3 October 2016 |title=Pope says respect gays and transsexuals, questions gender theory |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-gender-idUSKCN1220WK/ |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref name="Pullella-2023a">{{Cite web |last=Pullella |first=Philip |date=6 February 2023 |title=Pope Francis says laws criminalising LGBT people are a 'sin' and an injustice |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-francis-says-laws-criminalising-lgbt-people-are-sin-an-injustice-2023-02-05/ |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=[[Reuters]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=21 May 2018 |title=Pope Francis reportedly tells gay man: "God made you like this and he loves you" |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-tells-gay-man-god-made-you-like-this/ |access-date=15 January 2014 |website=[[CBS News]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In other public statements, Francis has emphasised the need to accept, welcome, and accompany LGBT people,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spadaro SJ |first=Antonio |author-link=Antonio Spadaro |date=30 September 2013 |title=A Big Heart Open to God: An interview with Pope Francis |url=https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2013/09/30/big-heart-open-god-interview-pope-francis |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=[[America (magazine)|America]] |language=en |quote=In Buenos Aires I used to receive letters from homosexual persons who are ‘socially wounded’ because they tell me that they feel like the church has always condemned them. But the church does not want to do this.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2 October 2016 |title=In-flight press conference of His Holiness Pope Francis from Azerbaijan to Rome |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco_20161002_georgia-azerbaijan-conferenza-stampa.html |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=[[Holy See]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bordoni |first=Linda |date=9 May 2022 |title=Pope to LGBT Catholics: 'God is Father who does not disown any of his children' |url=https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-05/pope-letter-fr-martin-lgtb-outreach-questions.html |access-date=23 January 2024 |website=[[Vatican News]] |language=en}}</ref> including LGBT children.<ref>{{Cite web |date=26 August 2018 |title=Apostolic Visit to Ireland: Press Conference on the return flight from Dublin to Rome (Papal flight, 26 August 2018) |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2018/august/documents/papa-francesco_20180826_irlanda-voloritorno.html |access-date=23 January 2024 |website=[[Holy See]]}}</ref><ref name="Catholic News Agency-2020">{{Cite web |date=21 October 2020 |title=Pope Francis calls for civil union law for same-sex couples, in shift from Vatican stance |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/46295/pope-francis-calls-for-civil-union-law-for-same-sex-couples-in-shift-from-vatican-stance |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=[[Catholic News Agency]] |language=en}}</ref> In a January 2023 interview with the [[Associated Press]], Francis denounced the [[criminalization of homosexuality]] (which he called "unjust"); he called on the Catholic Church to "distinguish between a sin and crime" and asked bishops supporting such laws to reverse their posoitionposition.<ref name="Associated Press-2023">{{Cite web |date=25 January 2023 |title=The AP Interview: Pope says homosexuality not a crime |url=https://apnews.com/article/pope-francis-gay-rights-ap-interview-1359756ae22f27f87c1d4d6b9c8ce212 |access-date=23 January 2024 |website=[[Associated Press]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Pullella-2023a" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=27 January 2023 |title=Pope Francis clarifies comments on homosexuality: "One must consider the circumstances." |url=https://outreach.faith/2023/01/pope-francis-clarifies-comments-on-homosexuality-one-must-consider-the-circumstances/ |access-date=23 January 2024 |website=[[Outreach Catholic|Outreach]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Francis repeated this stance the following month.<ref name="Pullella-2023a" /> Francis reiterated traditional Catholic teaching that [[Marriage in the Catholic Church|marriage]] is between a man and a woman,<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 March 2014 |title=Transcript: Pope Francis' March 5 interview with Corriere della Sera |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/29153/transcript-pope-francis-march-5-interview-with-corriere-della-sera |access-date=23 January 2024 |website=[[Catholic News Agency]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Pope Francis |author-link=Pope Francis |date=19 March 2016 |title=Amoris laetitia |url=https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.html |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=[[Holy See]] |pages=190–191}}</ref> he has supported same-sex [[civil union]]s as legal protections for [[Same-sex relationship|same-sex couples]].<ref name="Catholic News Agency-2020" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September 2021 |title=Same-sex civil unions 'good and helpful to many', says Pope Francis |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/09/16/same-sex-civil-unions-good-and-helpful-to-many-says-pope-francis |access-date=16 January 2024 |website=[[Euronews]] |language=en}}</ref> Under his pontificate, the [[Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith]] has confirmed that transgender people can be baptised,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Fernández |first1=Víctor Manuel |author-link=Víctor Manuel Fernández |last2=Francis |author-link2=Pope Francis |date=31 October 2023 |title=Answers to Several Questions from His Excellency, the Most Reverend José Negri, Bishop of Santo Amaro, Brazil, Regarding Participation in the Sacraments of Baptism and Matrimony by Transgender Persons and Homosexual Persons |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_20231031-documento-mons-negri_en.html |access-date=26 January 2024 |website=[[Holy See]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 November 2023 |title=Transgender people can be baptised and be godparents, Vatican says |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67366198 |access-date=26 January 2024 |work=[[BBC News]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> and allowed the blessing of same-sex couples in the document {{Lang|la|[[Fiducia supplicans]]}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fiducia supplicans |url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_en.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220220316/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_en.html |archive-date=20 December 2023 |access-date=21 December 2023 |website=[[Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith]] |ref=Paragraph 31}}</ref> Francis has privately met many LGBT people and activists. In 2013, Francis was named as Person of the Year by ''[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]]'', an American [[List of LGBT periodicals|LGBT magazine]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grindley |first=Lucas |date=16 December 2013 |title=The Advocate's Person of the Year: Pope Francis |url=https://www.advocate.com/year-review/2013/12/16/advocates-person-year-pope-francis |access-date=15 January 2024 |website=[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]] |language=en}}</ref>