Pope Bluntly Faults Church’s Focus on Gays and Abortion ...Philippines too

Reflecting on the response to his comment ‘Who am I to judge?‘ on homosexuality, made during his return trip from World Youth Day in August, Francis elaborated, “Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person? ….  It is necessary to accompany them with mercy.”

In remarkably blunt language, Francis sought to set a new tone for the church, saying it should be a “home for all” and not a “small chapel” focused on doctrine, orthodoxy and a limited agenda of moral teachings.

“We have to find a new balance,” the pope continued, “otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.

“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality,” he told Father Spadaro. “I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.” The source article copy and paste this link in your browser

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/pope-gays-abortion_n_3954477.html

But the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender people, issued a statement saying, "Pope Francis has pressed the reset button on the Roman Catholic Church's treatment of LGBT people, rolling back a years-long campaign at the highest levels of the church to oppose any measure of dignity or equality." The source article copy and paste this link in your browser
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/19/pope-francis-reaction-interview/2838299/