Pope Says Gays Deserve Apology From Church

[L. Coyote]

Source: Slate By Daniel Politi

Pope Francis told a group of journalists that the Catholic Church and Christians owe gays an apology for the way the church has treated them in the past. Yet Francis also made clear that gays aren’t particularly special, saying that they are just one of several groups of people who deserve an apology. He uttered his words aboard the papal plane, where he was asked if he agreed with recent comments by a top adviser that the Church should apologize to gays.

He first said that homosexuals “should not be discriminated against” and then added: "I think the church must not only apologize ... to a gay person it offended, but we must apologize to the poor, to women who have been exploited, to children forced into labor, apologize for having blessed so many weapons.”

This apology shouldn’t just be institutional, but rather Christians themselves are the ones who must apologize, Francis said. "The church must say it is sorry for not having behaved as it should many times, many times—when I say the 'Church,' I mean we Christians because the Church is holy; we are the sinners," the pope said. "We Christians must say we are sorry."


Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/06/26/pope_says_gays_deserve_apology_from_church.html

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[center]Try to tell this to the Pope's good friend, Donald Trump!

[Socal31]

1. What a time we live in!

Unthinkable just years ago. The Church is attempting to stay relevant.

[L. Coyote]

2. I would say the cardinals picked someone relevant, for they are of our times too.

Last edited Sun Jun 26, 2016, 09:38 PM - Edit history (1)

[msongs]

3. meaningless propaganda. its what the church does today and in the future that matters nt

[L. Coyote]

10. Meaningful direction on how to live your life as a Christian, especially meaningful when so needed

by haters who call themselves Christians.

[passiveporcupine]

18. And wouldn't it be cool if

The church decided to take on the NRA and all the gun nuts in the US who allow all these deadly weapons to be sold/bought.

Pope Francis is a good man. I'd love to see him in this battle. But I know he won't do it. I'd like to see him in the battle against nukes and cluster bombs too.

[dickthegrouch]

29. I agree, it's just a business decision

The church is hemorrhaging so much money from reduced attendance as disgusted and disillusioned people quit, it has to try to reel people in again.
The con is over. Thank GOD (pun intended).

This is nothing more than a calculated business decision.

[rateyes]

4. Thank you, Francis!

[skepticscott]

9. And did he also say that his church should ask forgiveness

for holding fast to the doctrine that homosexuals are "inherently disordered"? Or for continuing to oppose marriage and adoption for same sex couples?

Yes, beat someone, apologize for beating them, then resume beating them. A familiar refrain.

[diligent sleeper]

5. Wonderful

This is great. For once a pope who seems to act on his religion.

https://therulingclassobserver.wordpress.com/2016/06/25/of-labels-the-doors-of-perception/

[skepticscott]

11. And did he also say that his church should ask forgiveness

for holding fast to the doctrine that homosexuals are "inherently disordered"? Or for continuing to oppose marriage and adoption for same sex couples?

Yes, beat someone, apologize for beating them, then resume beating them. A familiar refrain. But you think it's "wonderful" and "great". Why is this kind of homophobia permitted on DU?

[insta8er]

6. Great news!

[keithbvadu2]

7. The Catholic Church owes many thousands (millions?) of children an apology

for its gay priests molesting the children and then protecting the priests.

The Catholic Church had two choices.

1. Protect the children.

2. Protect their priests.

The children lost.

[Major Nikon]

8. He could start by personally apologizing for saying gay marriage is the work of the devil

Thus far he has yet to even take that one back.

[AllyCat]

24. Gay priests are not the same as pedophiles.

Their is no link between pedophilia and homosexuality. To suggest this is damaging.

[keithbvadu2]

30. Usually I say pederast priests.

I meant it as coincidental rather than causal.

[Skittles]

13. how about religion stop demonizing them?

[Little Tich]

14. there are many people who have a deep respect for the Pope, and his words of tolerance and

forgiveness will have an effect on them.

This is good.

[mountain grammy]

15. Wow! I know all the arguments against..

but this is really a pretty big admission.

[napi21]

21. It's a VERY BIG admission! I know most Christians admire & respect the Pope,

AND believe HIS word is the word of the Church. I also know a number of Catholics who are extremely upset by Pope Francis and his teachings ever since he was elected Pope. He has told them a lot of things that are completely opposed to what they've always been taught and they don't like it one bit! I haven't heard any comments about his new position on homosexuality, YET, but I'm sure I will. Hell there are still some Catholics that think it was horrible when the Church eliminated no meat on Fridays.

I think a lot of the severe attitudes will only change when the old fogies croak. Then those hateful opinions and actions will die with them. And I'm allowed to call them old fogies. I'm 73, but NOT an old fogy with angry attitudes.

[Lordquinton]

16. "in the past"

And in the present, and unless he changes some core dogma, in the future as well.

And it is institutional, and Personal, as Francis himself compared Gays to nuclear weaponry.

Until the Pope and church changes this is meaningless, like the 1 year amnesty for women who had abortions he offered up.

[tclambert]

17. Apology tour! Apology tour!

Now Republicans will accuse the Pope of making an apology tour. They don't believe in apologizing, no matter how wrong they are.

[closeupready]

19. Silliness. The deity worshipped here, remember, is cruel and sadistic.

It's dogma that he created gay people, but demands that they deny themselves expression of their sexuality. AND that he is going to send you straight to hell. And THIS is a deity gay people pray to ... why???? He created us as if we are all Mr. Bill's, and then destroys us utterly when we have no more utility.

This Stone Age superstition should not be subsidized by taxpaying citizens of Western, "secular" governments, yet, I think they ALL do just that. Even the GAY citizens - and in exchange, the whipping boy is supposed to say, 'thank you for not hating me as much as you used to.' LOL

[L. Coyote]

20. Religion means many things to many people and one of the teachings is tolerance.

Don't conflate ignorant people playing their version of religion with what religion means to others who are tolerant, loving, kind, generous, patient, and forgiving even of ignorance. And no one religion has a monopoly on either group of people.

[closeupready]

32. Yawn.

sorry, but just yawn.

[L. Coyote]

34. I know, shouldn't even have to point this out!

[AllTooEasy]

22. Good Friends? Reference please.

Trump claims to be Presbyterian. The Pope and Trump have been at odds for a while:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/18/donald-trump-pope-francis-christian-wall-mexico-border

[L. Coyote]

28. Yes, and everyone knows this here, so no sarcasm thingie needed.

Especially given the graphic I used.

[knowledgeispwr]

25. More empty words from PR Pope

How about he oppose all discrimination against LGBT folks, and not just unjust discrimination?

Once again, Pope Francis says something that seems ambiguous or mildly conciliatory, and people fall all over themselves to praise him while his organization continues to fight against LGBT folks worldwide.

Color me unimpressed.

[anoNY42]

26. Just thought of something

If Trump is such a great Christian, then maybe the reason he lacks basic foreign policy knowledge is because he spends all his time reading the Bible?

[MariaThinks]

27. This is Catholicism modernizing with the times.

[fbc]

31. Seems a little early for an apology

Does the Catholic Church expect forgiveness without repentance?

[Eugene]

33. Gay Catholic Groups Want the Vatican to Do More Than Apologize

Source: New York Times

Gay Catholic Groups Want the Vatican to Do More Than Apologize

By JIM YARDLEY JUNE 27, 2016

ROME — Leaders of gay Catholic groups on Monday praised Pope Francis for saying that all Christians and the Roman Catholic Church owed an apology to gays for previous mistreatment, even as the groups called on the church to take more concrete steps to repudiate past teachings and condemn anti-gay violence.

Streaking across the sky on Sunday night in his papal airliner, returning from a visit to Armenia, Francis also visibly winced, momentarily overcome with emotion, when a journalist, Cindy Wooden, mentioned the recent attack at an Orlando gay nightclub and noted that Christians are sometimes blamed for stigmatizing homosexuals.

Francis did not directly address the Orlando killings. But he endorsed a comment of one of his top advisers who, soon after the Orlando attack, said that the church had marginalized gay people and should apologize.

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Marianne Duddy-Burke, executive director of DignityUSA, a leading organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, said the pope’s remarks represented a powerful statement, if not enough.

“For a pope to acknowledge that the church has done so much damage to gay people, and that we deserve an apology, is an unprecedented act of humility,” she said in a telephone interview. “But a statement of remorse is only as good as the change in behavior that follows.”

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/28/world/europe/pope-francis-gays-christians-apology.html