ROME, Italy — Pope Francis returned to the issue of homosexuality Sunday, insisting that while gay sex is a sin, capital punishment for those with homosexual tendencies “is not right.”
“If a person with homosexual tendencies is a believer and seeks God, who am I to judge him?” the pontiff said on his return trip to Rome from South Sudan, reiterating earlier statements.
Moreover, he said, children with this orientation “have a right to stay at home; you cannot kick them out of the house.”
“The criminalization of homosexuality is an issue that must not be allowed to pass by,” he said. “It is estimated that, more or less, fifty countries, in one way or another, promote this kind of criminalization — they tell me more, but let’s say at least fifty — and some of these — I think it’s ten, even foresee the death penalty.”
“This is not right,” he said, because “people with homosexual tendencies are children of God, God loves them, God accompanies them.”
Last week, the pope told the Associated Press (AP) that homosexuality is not a crime.
“Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” he said.
“It is true that some are in this state because of various unwanted situations, but to condemn such people is a sin; to criminalize people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice,” he said.
The pope went on to clarify that he was not speaking about lobbies and pressure groups, but about “people.”
“I am talking about people; lobbies are something different. I am talking about people. And I believe the Catechism of the Catholic Church says they should not be marginalized. This point, I believe, is clear,” he said.