Pope Francis says homosexuality is 'not a crime' but remains a 'sin' among Catholic doctrine

Fox News Flash top headlines for January 24

FOX News See more videos

SHARE

SHARE

TWEET

SHARE

EMAIL

What to watch next

• 

  Masih Alinejad: Biden administration negotiates with ‘the same murderers’ as they’ve sanctioned

  MSNBC
• 

  Ukraine top prosecutor: Russia needs to be held accountable for 'more than 65,000' war crimes

  MSNBC
• 

  Appeals court dismisses Johnson and Johnson talc bankruptcy case

  CNBC
• 

  Nichols’ family attorney Ben Crump: ‘False narrative’ of traffic stop are ‘attempts at conspiracy’

  MSNBC
• 

  Republican congressman George Santos is under fire for falsehoods. What has he lied about?

  
  USA TODAY
• 

  Trump Suggests He Still Trusts Putin Over U.S. Intelligence 'Lowlifes'

  Newsweek
• 

  'Atrocity, worse than Trump’: George Santos hammered for mounting lies by Stephen A. Smith

  MSNBC
• 

  Maryland Monkey Business: Security Camera Catches Gorilla Statue Theft

  Newsweek
• 

  Sixth police officer relieved of duty in wake of Nichols' death

  MSNBC
• 

  How a 'lesson of 2011' shaped Biden's no-negotiation stance on debt limit

  MSNBC
• 

  Blinken condemns rise in violence between Israel and Palestinians

  MSNBC
• 

  It is time for Congress to act: House member on police reform

  MSNBC
• 

  Law enforcement veteran weighs in on Memphis police disbanding SCORPION team

  CBS News
• 

  What Bill Gates Thinks About COVID Conspiracy Theories

  Newsweek
• 

  Blinken, Netanyahu discuss Israel, Palestine, Iran

  
  The Washington Post
• 

  Brandon Tsay, man who disarmed Monterey Park gunman, honored for heroism

  CBS News

Click to expand

Replay Video

• Masih Alinejad: Biden administration negotiates with ‘the same murderers’ as they’ve sanctioned The Justice Department has charged three men with attempting to assassinate prominent Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad on U.S. soil. Alinejad joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss the case and what international communities should be doing to help the Iranian people. “I want the Biden administration to lay out their policy toward the Islamic Republic, because look, at the same time they sanctioned the killers, the Islamic Republic, some of the clerics, revolutionary guards, but the next day they go and negotiate with the same murderers” says Masih. MSNBC
• Ukraine top prosecutor: Russia needs to be held accountable for 'more than 65,000' war crimes “More than 65,000” war crimes have been reported in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin joins Andrea Mitchell to explain how Ukraine is planning on holding Russia accountable. “We need to document because we need Russia, as the country, and Russian representatives of Russian Armed Forces to be accountable for war crimes they committed," says Kostin. "This is not only for justice for the victims and survivors of these war crimes; this is for the sake of justice for the whole world, because this war is more of democracy against tyranny.” MSNBC
• Appeals court dismisses Johnson and Johnson talc bankruptcy case CNBC's Meg Tirrell joins 'Halftime Report' to report on the U.S. appeals court decision to toss out Johnson and Johnson's talc powder settlements in to a bankruptcy case, the reasons behind the ruling, and the next steps for J&J. CNBC

UP NEXT

Pope Francis said during an interview Tuesday homosexual relations are "not a crime" and called laws that penalize homosexuality "unjust."

At the Vatican, the Pontiff said that God loves everyone as they are and called on Catholics to do more to welcome people from the LGBTQ community into the church. He also encouraged them to support laws allowing homosexual practices.

"Being homosexual isn’t a crime," Francis told The Associated Press.

Amid his remarks, Francis said there needed to be a distinction between a legal crime and a religious sin with regard to homosexual practices: "It's not a crime. Yes, but it's a sin. Fine, but first, let's distinguish between a sin and a crime."

POPE FRANCIS WARNS OF 'ELEGANT DEMON' LURKING AMONG VATICAN STAFF

© AP Photo/Andrew Medichini Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

The Pope added: "It's also a sin to lack charity with one another."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The Pope also addressed how some Catholic bishops support laws criminalizing homosexuality in some parts of the world. He, too, has referred to the issue in terms of "sin" but said bishops and others should undergo a process to change their thinking to recognize the dignity of all people.

"These bishops have to have a process of conversion," he said, saying the bishops should observe the same "tenderness, as God has for each one of us."

The Associated Press reported 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world have laws on the books criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual activity. Of these countries, 11 can or do impose the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust.

© AP Photo/Sandro Pace Italian Arcigay gay rights association activists hold banners and flags during a demonstration in front of The Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. AP Photo/Sandro Pace

Such laws, even if not enforced, can contribute to harassment, violence or allow people to become stigmatization against LGBTQ people, according to the United Nations, which has repeatedly called for an end to such laws.

POPE DERIDES BIDEN'S ABORTION VIEWS, CATHOLIC SELF-IDENTITY AS 'INCOHERENCE'

The UN also said such laws violate rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. They are also a breach of international law to protect the human rights of all people, per the international body.

Francis called these laws "unjust," and said the Catholic Church could and should work to put an end to them. "It must do this. It must do this," he emphasized.

Francis also said gays must be welcomed and respected: "We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity."

© AP Photo/Andrew Medichini Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the Vatican, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

The Pope has made embracing the LGBTQ community a hallmark of his papacy but he has not challenged or changed Catholic teachings, which say people must be treated with respect but homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered."

CATHOLIC ARCHDIOCESE DEFENDS POLICY TO NOT ADMIT CHILDREN WHO REJECT THEIR BIOLOGICAL SEX

Francis repeatedly and publicly ministered to the gay and trans community and once favored granting legal protections to same-sex couples without wholely endorsing gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.

Despite the appreciable remarks, the Pontiff has been careful not to use the Vatican’s doctrine office to support or bless same-sex unions "because God cannot bless sin," he said in 2021.

© AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia Pope Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to homosexuality in terms of "sin." AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Such laws that impose the death penalty for homosexuality are common in Africa and the Middle East, some of which are inspired by Islamic law.

Catholic bishops are somewhat torn on the issue as some maintain a literal interpretation of Scripture and do not recognize homosexual relations, while others call for laws against homosexuality to be overturned.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.