BEVERLY HILLS, June 28, (THEWILL) – Yesterday, while answering a question about a German Cardinal who said the Catholic Church should apologize for being “very negative” about gays Pope Francis commented that Christians owe apologies to gays and others who have been offended or exploited by the church.
He said, “I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally,” Francis said at a press conference aboard the papal plane returning from Armenia.
“The Church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times — when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy, we are sinners!”
“I believe that the church not only should apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended,” he added, “but has to apologize to the poor, to exploited women, to children exploited for labor; it has to ask forgiveness for having blessed many weapons.”
The Pope was also asked whether Christians bear some blame for hatred toward the LGBT community, in reference to the Orlando massacre. He responded, “One can condemn, but not for theological reasons, but for reasons of political behavior…Certain manifestations are a bit too offensive for others, no?
“But these are things that have nothing to do with the problem. The problem is a person that has a condition, that has good will and who seeks God, who are we to judge? And we must accompany them well.”