The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say regarding the attitude that Catholics should hold regarding homosexual persons: “They must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity.” (2358)

Pope Francis, in his interview with Civita Cattolica, is echoing what the Catechism says regarding the matter. The Pope firmly believes that: “The first reform must be attitude” and “The proposal must be more simple, profound and radiant. It is from this proposition that the moral consequences then flow.” What the Pope is saying is that, once our hearts turn to Christ, then our way of life will naturally conform to the Gospel teaching even on the moral level. Nowhere does Pope Francis say that homosexual acts are not gravely offensive to God any more or that any of the non-negotiable issues have suddenly become irrelevant. Anyone who affirms to the contrary has to bear responsibility for the wrong committed by those who have heeded his words.  

Jacqueline Calleja

BALZAN