Dear Parishioners and Friends,
A few weeks ago Pope Francis visited Brazil on the occasion
of World Youth Day. One of the biggest headlines about the event came from a
response he gave to a journalist on the plane ride back to Rome. Headlines
proclaimed: “On gay priests, Pope Francis asks, ‘Who am I to judge?’”
The New York Times implied that Pope Francis contradicted
Pope Benedict who taught that homosexuality is a strong tendency ordered toward
an intrinsic evil.
Pope Francis was doing no such thing – if you actually read
what he said. Here is the lesson all Catholics need to learn in the world of
the new media: journalists don’t always read what people say and sometimes they
don’t understand what is being said.
The Pope was answering a question about a particular priest
who had been accused by an Italian magazine that he was involved in a
homosexual lifestyle as a young priest. Pope Francis said that an investigation
into the matter did not find any truth to the accusation. He then went on to
say that if anyone does commit sin and repents, “the Lord forgives, and when
the Lord forgives, the Lord forgets and this is important for our life.” He
went on to say that “if a person is gay and searches for the Lord and has good
will, who am I to judge.” Here the Pope is reiterating the Church’s constant
teaching and practice – homosexual tendencies are not sin and if someone has
these tendencies and seeks to live a good life, we should not judge them. This
is sound theology and pastoral advice coming from our Holy Father.
In Christ,
Msgr. Baker
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