Pope Francis appears to have further softened the attitude of the Catholic Church towards the LGBTQ community while at the same time taking a tougher stance on prejudice and discrimination.
In an interview for the Associated Press, Pope Francis has said that homosexuality is "not a crime" at the same time criticising bishops who lend support to laws that criminalise or otherwise distriminate against homosexuality. This discrimination he called "sin", adding, however that he understood that bishops are also influenced by the cultures they come from and can change to recognise the dignity of all.
The Pope expressed the need to distinguish carefully between "crime" and "sin", categorising both homosexuality and discrimination against it as "sin".
Perhaps anticipating discussion of his words, the Pope appealed to those who disagree with him to express this disagreement "to his face".
Sources: AP News, PAP
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