Pope Francis: Who am I to judge gay people?

[LAGC]

Pope Francis has said gay people should not be judged or marginalised.

Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he said: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?"

The Pope's remarks are being seen as much more conciliatory than his predecessor's position on the issue.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23489702

This pope is going to end up like Julius Caesar -- stabbed in the back by one of his own "inner Roman circle."

:eek1:

[LAGC]

I think its a great step forward from the previous pontiff's position.

I will admit, the Catholic Church has come a long way from the days of persecuting scientists like Galileo.

[CigarGuy]

Anxious to see how the committed Catholics on this board feel about that.

[CigarGuy]

This, from my best bud..........

How different is any of this compared to Pope Benedict?
The press has been (as usual) trying to make unfavorable comparisons to Pope Benedit, noting that during his time the Holy See issued a document saying that those with deep-seated homosexual tendencies should not be ordained to the priesthood.
Pope Francis did not mention that document or its policy and so has done nothing different than Benedict there.
Neither are any of Francis's remarks contrary to the approach Benedict took during his pontificate.
In fact, Benedict himself (as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) was the signer of the previosly-mentioned letter on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, as well as the follow-up document on non-discrimination regarding homosexual persons.
So, as usual, the press is painting a false picture by contrasting the "good" Francis and the "bad" Benedict.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/7-things-you-need-to-know-about-what-pope-francis-said-about-gays#ixzz2aRtwtNJV

[5.56NATO]

Well, to be fair we will be judged by messiah, note a pope. And as for judgement and subsequent punishment, here's what we can expect;
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/apocalypsepeter-roberts.html

The part in section 31 is most relevant to this thread.

[was_peacemaker]

I think its a great step forward from the previous pontiff's position.

I will admit, the Catholic Church has come a long way from the days of persecuting scientists like Galileo.

You do realize that the "Big Bang" theory was developed by a Catholic priest...right?

[LAGC]

You do realize that the "Big Bang" theory was developed by a Catholic priest...right?

I wasn't aware of that. Link?

The Catholic Church has involved itself in various scientific enterprises lately, if only reluctantly:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_and_science

Like I said, they've come a long way from burning people at the stake for heresy.