Is This A Fresh New Trend With Pope Francis, Commenting On His Openness To Gays?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
On a flight home from a trip from Brazil, Pope Francis directly answered a range of questions from the press. To one question the pontiff responded: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Judy Woodruff reports on what his comments suggest a shift in acceptance for gay Catholics.
Catholics and members of the gay communities are reacting with respect to remarks made Monday by Pope Francis, who said he withheld personal judgment on people’s sexual orientation.
Pope Francis drew significant attention for his compassionate tone when speaking briefly about homosexuality to reporters on his plane ride home from Brazil.
“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis told reporters.
Here is a transcript of the conversations on Pope Francis flight home.
Transcript
JUDY WOODRUFF: POPE FRANCIS drew new attention today with some surprising remarks about gay Catholics, as he wrapped up a trip to the Americas that drew enormous crowds.
For 82 minutes, the pope fielded questions on his flight home from Brazil. And for the first time ever, there were no restrictions. Francis was asked directly about a so-called gay lobby within the Vatican, an allegedly powerful influence inside the church. He struck a conciliatory tone on homosexuality in general and within the priestly ranks.
POPE FRANCIS, leader of Catholic Church: Everyone writes about the gay lobby. I still haven’t found anyone who gave me an identity card in the Vatican with “gay” written on it. If someone is gay and he searches for the lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?
JUDY WOODRUFF: The comments suggested a shift in acceptance, but not in Roman Catholic doctrine, which still holds that homosexual acts are disordered. At the same time, Francis upheld the longstanding prohibition on women in the priesthood. But he did advocate an expanded role and cited an exalted role model.
POPE FRANCIS: The madonna, Maria, was more important than the apostles, bishops, deacons, and priests. Women are more important than bishops and priests.
JUDY WOODRUFF: The pope’s comments came as he returned from his first trip abroad since his March election. The 76-year-old Argentine had attended World Youth Day events in Brazil, including two huge outdoor services in Rio de Janeiro.
On Saturday, he told young people in soccer-mad Brazil, which hosts next year’s World Cup, to set their eyes on a higher prize.
POPE FRANCIS: Jesus offers us something more than the World Cup. He offers us the possibility of a fruitful life without end.
JUDY WOODRUFF: He also exhorted Brazilian bishops to get out of their parishes and spread more of their Catholic faith, which has seen many of the faithful leaving for evangelical Protestant sects. Then on Sunday in the shadow of Rio’s famed Christ the Redeemer mountaintop icon, an estimated three million people gathered on famed Copacabana Beach.
What do you think? Is This A Fresh New Trend With Pope Francis, Commenting On His Openness To Gays, possibly a new movement from within the church. Only time will tell.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
e are confident in the Bible as the written Word of God. We believe that personal faith in Jesus Christ is our only hope for salvation. We look to Jesus Christ and the Bible as our example for life. We believe that we need each other for effective spiritual growth, encouragement, and maturity in our daily Christian walk. We believe that the Bible is fully inspired by God -- that it is accurate and shall be our trustworthy guide for faith and practice.
We want you to know there is always room for you at GRS Blessed Enterprise ministries.
Thank you for stopping by, and hope you will return often, as our blessed website will continue to change daily.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
"You Are Our King" Compilation of Full Album Tracks (5:16)"Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.