BBC 29 July 2013 Last updated at 09:45 ET

Pope Francis: Who am I to judge gay people?


Pope Francis has said gay people should not be marginalised but integrated into society.

Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not.

He was responding to questions about whether there was a "gay lobby" in the Vatican.

"If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?"

By contrast, Pope Benedict, a shy academic, only replied to selected questions submitted in advance during his travels.

Pope Francis spoke only in Italian or Spanish to reporters, but displayed a sense of cheeky humour that's rare among recent pontiffs. "You see a lot written about the gay lobby [in the Vatican]." he said. "I still have not yet seen anyone in the Vatican with an identity card saying they are gay."

He defended gay people from discrimination but also quoted the distinction drawn by Catholic teaching between homosexual orientation - which is not regarded as sinful - and homosexual acts - which are.

His remarks on gay people are being seen as much more conciliatory than his predecessor's position on the issue.

Pope Benedict XVI signed a document in 2005 that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests. Continue reading @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23489702

panafrican: The vague and ubiquitous position of this new pope over gay people is nothing but scandalous and one wonders why a religious leader like him is acting like a politician looking for votes.
With these types of mixed messages , the Catholic church will suffer because many true Christians might just leave and let gay people run the show.

obadiah777: Why is a panafrican concerned about a european institution ? smdh

panafrican:
Because millions of Africans are catholic and they reject this backward homosexual behavior.

alexchiny:
Get your facts right! He is not endorsing homosexuality, he is not just judging them either and he shouldnt. Remember what Jesus said "judge not so ye shall not be judged". All we can do is condemn the act and leave the homosexuals to God.

alexchiny:
Get your facts right! He is not endorsing homosexuality, he is not just judging them either and he shouldnt. Remember what Jesus said "judge not so ye shall not be judged". All we can do is condemn the act and leave the homosexuals to God.

panafrican: What does the Bible say about Homosexuality ? Why did Go struck Sodom and Gomorrah?

We African are paying the price of Europeans weak faith. They should quit dominating Christianity with their weak Pope. Let's not forget that mixed messages are not what religious leaders like his pope should use. This vague and confusing manner of dealing with important issues let Islam to supplant Christianity in the Middle East and some places in South East Asia. The results? Muslims feel stronger today to the point that they believe they can subdue Africa to Islam. See What is happening in Nigeria, Somalia, Mali, Libya, Central African Republic etc.

thoth:

Throught our history Christainity has been a religion of politics. intrigues, vague positions and mixed messages.

panafrican: One can agree with you on that. But on the other hand, Christians are more organized than Muslims. For instance Muslims do not have an unique leader that has the same powers as the Pope. Also the Vatican is not only that tiny "city-Country ", it is a huge well-connected intercontinental government system with rules and regulations.

thoth: That is the flaw in christianity if you ask me. One rotten blob of collosal indeference. Mind you that you only meant catholics when you talk about rome, but in the real sense of organization the christians could not be organised without a figurhead. The muslims on the other hand can organise themselves irespective of the heirachy.
there is a russian saying that goes "The fish rots from the head."

This puts the christians in the a very dangerous position since for example an ambiguos pope like this can fracture the whole structure. With all its organisation and connection it cannot take a stand on concrete issues like abortion,homosexuality and incest.

panafrican:
The lack of structure can well lead to anarchy such as the type of society people like Bakunin ( a Russian anarchist) were trying to create in the 19th century.
See Bakunin @ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49654/Mikhail-Aleksandrovich-Bakunin

This way of doing things is backward because the lack of structure opens the doors to all types of interpretations and mess. Anyone can come up with anything just like what Al Qaeda and the Taliban are doing.
This being said Arabs and Western European Christians have respectively rotten Islam and Christianity with their traditional secular practices. That is why they are stuck in a bipolar faith ( sometime scripture abiding something "lost- politically -correct" politicians).

As much as there are truth in what you are saying, we do know that for any Al Qaeda fighter there are 2 christian Al Qaeda like fighters doing more damage than the Al Qaeda will ever do.

Looking back at Al Qaeda if the christians has stayed in their place, and had not looked for trouble with their Pillage in the guise of religion and civilization interventions we might not have heard that name now.