The Pope?
Yup….
The Catholic Church has had bad experience’s with the issue of gays…
This is a step in the right direction….
“They’re children of God and have a right to a family,” the pope said. “Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it.”
Francis, who became pope in 2013, gave earlier, oblique signals interpreted as openness to recognizing same-gender civil unions. He has usually framed his comments in pragmatic, curious terms — as someone noticing the possible need for legal recognition for existing families, so they can access civil benefits such as heath care.
“This is the first time as pope he’s making such a clear statement,” the Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit who has advocated for the church to more openly welcome LGBT members, said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I think it’s a big step forward. In the past, even civil unions were frowned upon in many quarters of the church. He is putting his weight behind legal recognition of same-sex civil unions.”
Officially, the church teaches that homosexual sex acts are “disordered,” and Francis’s predecessor, Benedict XVI, called homosexuality an “intrinsic moral evil.” Francis has not altered church doctrine, but he has pushed the church away from that stance, to the anger of conservatives, who accuse him of adjusting teaching for modern times.
Famously, Francis in 2013 said about somebody who is gay: “Who am I to judge?” Francis has also spoken often about his ministry to gay and lesbian Catholics, saying they are loved by God and welcomed by the church…
image…NY daily News