Pope Francis has said that being homosexual is not a crime.
“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” he said in an exclusive interview with Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday.
He criticized laws that criminalise the act.
The leader of the Catholic Church acknowledge that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalise homosexuality and discriminate against LGBTQ people.
Though he termed the act as a sin, he attributed the practice to cultural backgrounds and said bishops need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.
“These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said, adding that they should apply “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.”
He added that, “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.”
This comes ahead of his trip to Africa where there are a lot of anti-homosexuality laws.
The Pope however established the fact that homosexuality was a sin but not a crime.
“It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime.”
“It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”
Source: AP
