Pope Francis: "Opposition to Blessing Same-Sex Couples Is Hypocrisy"

Pope Francis stated that opposing the blessing of same-sex couples is hypocrisy.

Pope Francis [Photo by Yonhap News]

According to local Italian media on the 7th (local time), in an upcoming interview with the Catholic weekly Credere, the Pope said, "Blessing an entrepreneur who exploits others does not cause any scandal, but this is a very serious sin," and "Blessing homosexuals causes scandal. This is hypocrisy." In other words, it is contradictory to oppose the blessing of same-sex couples while not opposing the blessing of immoral entrepreneurs.

In December last year, the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith allowed Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples through a declaration called "Faith that Pleads." Although it urged special caution to ensure that blessing same-sex couples is not misunderstood as recognition of the church's liturgical act or acceptance of same-sex unions by the church itself, it was regarded as a groundbreaking decision. Episcopal conferences worldwide welcomed this decision. However, conservatives within the Catholic Church considered it blasphemy and strongly opposed it.

In this interview, Pope Francis also said that women are more efficient in certain positions and that the Vatican should embrace more women. Since his enthronement in 2013, the Pope has opened several senior positions within the Vatican to women.

Regarding recent rumors about his health issues, he explained that intellectual ability is more necessary than physical ability for governing the Catholic Church. The Pope also emphasized that the church should listen more to people's suffering and that clergy should participate more in the realities faced by their communities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.