What would the Pope say to an LGBT Catholic “who has suffered a rejection by the Church”? Well Francis replies: «I would like them to recognize it not as ‘the rejection of the Church’, but rather as ‘people in the Church’. The Church is a mother and calls all her children together. Take for example the parable of the guests at the feast: ‘the righteous, the sinners, the rich and the poor, etc.’ (Matthew 22: 1-15; Luke 14: 15-24). A ‘selective’ Church, of ‘pure blood’, is not the Holy Mother Church, but rather a sect ». This is Bergoglio’s (written) answer to three questions from the American Jesuit father James Martin regarding LGBT Catholics.
The historic opening of 2013: “Who am I to judge?”
It is not the first time that Francis has addressed words of openness to gay rights, as he did last January when he said to the parents of homosexual boys: “Never condemn a child”. From the beginning of his pontificate, Francis used words of openness and welcome towards homosexuals. On the flight back from Brazil in July 2013 he asked: “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord, who am I to judge him?”. And he added: «We must not discriminate or marginalize these people, the Catechism also says so. The problem for the Church is not the trend. They are brothers. When one is lost like this he must be helped, and one must distinguish whether he is a good person ».