Pope Francis On Gays: Who Am I To Judge?

July 29, 2013 Subscribe · Forward Pope Francis On Gays: Who Am I To Judge Them? Pope Francis has had a busy week at World Youth Day in Rio as he visited his slums and prisons, blessed the Olympic flag and brought three million people to Copacabana Beach for a final Mass on Sunday morning. Now he has made another headline, this time when the pontiff said, "Who am I to judge a gay person?" While taking questions from reporters on the plane back to Rome, Francis spoke about gays and the reported "gay lobby." According to the Wall Street Journal, the Pope's comments about homosexuality came in the context of a question about gay priests. The pontiff broached the delicate question of how he would respond to learning that a cleric in his ranks was gay, though not sexually active. For decades, the Vatican has regarded homosexuality as a "disorder," and Pope Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict XVI formally barred men with what the Vatican deemed "deep-seated" homosexuality from entering the priesthood. "Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?" the pontiff said, speaking in Italian. "You can't marginalize these people."  Continue reading... WATCH: Would You Play This Card Game About Death? I Love This Guy: Pope Francis and the Future of The Catholic Church Introducing Sharia Law 101 Desmond Tutu: I'd Choose Hell Over A Homophobic Heaven Pundit: Huma Abedin Is Muslim, Therefore Powerless Pope Draws Millions For Brazil Vigil Pope Signals Major Reversal On Gay Priests Desmond Tutu: I'd Choose Hell Over A Homophobic Heaven Desmond Tutu: I'd Choose Hell Over A Homophobic Heaven Pundit: Huma Abedin Is Muslim, Therefore Powerless WATCH: Pope's Delivers Final Mass To Record Breaking Crowd IMAM KHALID LATIF Ramadan Reflection Day 20: Softening the Heart through Spiritual Retreat- The last 10 Days of Ramadan At times we don't realize how hard our hearts have become. The pursuit of complacency becomes our goal rather than the pursuit of contentment and we sacrifice things that would bring us everlasting comfort in pursuit of those things that simply give us the facade of comfort. Continue reading... LINDA ROBERTSON So I've Come Out to My Christian Parents... Now What? Part 2: Things to Remember About Yourself as an Adult Child I want to remind you of some things that you are probably going to have to remind yourself of many times as you work through this with your parents, especially if they aren't proving to be as accepting and affirming as you had wished, and even more so if they are downright cruel. Continue reading... IMAM KHALID LATIF Ramadan Reflection Day 19: Building Spaces for the Silent Majority I am an advocate for creating new spaces in the Muslim community. Spaces that cater to the silent majority and are built off of a model with multiple entry points. Spaces that are not reactive to the existing apparatus, but are well-thought out and proactively built. Continue reading... JOHN DEAR Jonah and the Mission of Peace (Part II) Act Two urges us to speak out publicly for disarmament and justice like Jonah, and to repent of violence and turn back to God's way of nonviolence like the people of Nineveh. Continue reading... ROSEMARIE PACE The Trayvon Martin Case and the Law, But Whose Law? Many like to describe our country as a country of laws and a Christian country, but is it possible to be both when civil law so badly contradicts the laws that Christ taught us? Continue reading... Received this from a friend? Sign up for alerts from The Huffington Post here. Unsubscribe here. Huffington Post, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003