Scottish Catholic Observer

Pope Francis spoke about the danger of excluding homosexual people from society and the joy he experienced at World Youth Day in Rio on his return flight to Rome

Describing himself as tired, but spiritually renewed, the Pope talked to journalists in a frank 80-minute press conference on the flight back to Rome from Rio. He spoke about the very positive experience of meeting with three million young people in Brazil. He went on to recognise there had been security concerns surrounding WYD, but stressed that it is madness to try and separate a bishop from his people.

The Holy Father also acknowledged reports of a ‘gay lobby’ at the Vatican—allegedly protecting certain priests by threatening to blackmail others—in relation to the Vatican Bank. In doing so he made his strongest statement of pastoral care for the homosexual community to date.

The problem is something else, the problem is lobbying either for this orientation or a political lobby or a Masonic lobby.

Lobby versus orientation

The Pope said it was important to ‘distinguish between a person who is homosexual and someone who makes a gay lobby.’ While a ‘gay lobby isn’t good,’ he added ‘a gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will—well, who am I to judge him?’

“The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well,” he said. “It says one must not marginalise these persons, they must be integrated into society. The problem isn’t this (homosexual) orientation, we must be like brothers and sisters. The problem is something else, the problem is lobbying either for this orientation or a political lobby or a Masonic lobby.”

Unsung Curia

Speaking of other problems within the administration of the Holy See, the Pope said much of the good work done within the Curia went unremarked upon.

“There are saints who work in the Curia—cardinals, bishops, priests, sisters, laity; I’ve met them,” he said. “They include those who work full time, then do volunteer work, feed the poor, help out in parishes on weekends.’

The media only writes about the sinners and the scandals, he said, but that’s normal, because ‘a tree that falls makes more noise than a forest that grows.’

Future plans

Discussing future Papal visits, the Holy Father confirmed he will be travelling to Sardinia in September, to Assisi in October and said he hopes to visit his relatives in northern Italy because they have been asking to see him. He also spoke of plans for a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Jerusalem, but said there was no definite decision yet. He also confirmed that former Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be Canonised at the same time, either this October or, most likely, the week after Easter next year.

Finally on a very personal level, Pope Francis shared how he misses the freedom of being able to walk and meet people in the streets, how he lives in the Santa Martha guesthouse because he needs to talk to others and how he has always found pleasure as a priest, bishop and now pastor of the universal Church in following the Lord’s will.

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