ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE – Pope Francis affirmed on Sunday that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including the gay community, while emphasizing that the Church’s rules must be respected on the personal path of spirituality. He made these remarks during a press conference on his plane while returning to Rome from Portugal. The 86-year-old pope appeared in good health, sharing updates on his recovery following surgery for an abdominal hernia in June.
During the trip to Portugal, Pope Francis had stated that the Church is open to “everyone, everyone, everyone.” A reporter questioned the apparent inconsistency, pointing out that women and gay people do not have the same rights within the Church and are restricted from certain sacraments, such as Holy Orders for women and marriage for same-sex couples.
In response, Pope Francis clarified that the Church welcomes all, but it also has laws regulating life within its community. According to these laws, some individuals cannot participate in certain sacraments. He stressed that this limitation does not imply the Church is closed to them, as each person encounters God in their own way within the Church. He urged ministers in the Church to accompany all people, including those not adhering to the rules, with patience and love, akin to a mother’s care.
While women cannot become priests due to Jesus’ choice of only men as his apostles, Pope Francis supports civil legislation granting same-sex couples rights in areas like pensions, health insurance, and inheritance. However, the Church does not permit same-sex marriage or blessings for such couples, though it teaches that same-sex attraction is not sinful, but same-sex acts are.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has sought to create a more inclusive and less condemning Church, reaching out to the LGBTQ2S+ community without altering teachings on chastity for individuals with same-sex attraction. During his trip to Portugal, he emphasized that the Church is open to everyone, including those who make mistakes or struggle.
Reflecting on the World Youth Day Catholic festival in Portugal, which saw around 1.5 million attendees at the closing Mass, Pope Francis expressed his rejuvenation by the orderly and large crowds. He has undertaken various reforms in his ten years as pope, including increasing roles for women in high-ranking Vatican positions, but he faces a delicate balance between appealing to more liberal believers and respecting conservative views within the Church.