‘We are all children of God:’ Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime in interview

Pope Francis said laws criminalizing homosexuality are “unjust,” calling homosexuality a sin for Catholic worshippers – but not a crime.  

“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said in an interview this week with The Associated Press. 

He noted that Catholic bishops around the world support laws criminalizing homosexuality and discriminating against LGBTQ individuals. He said the leaders should “have to have a process of conversion,” and opt for “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us.” 

“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity,” Francis said,

The pope said the Catholic Church should work to end laws criminalizing homosexuality.

Approximately 67 countries and jurisdictions around the world criminalize same-sex sexual activity. In the United States, more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws, though the Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that the statutes are unconstitutional.  

Francis’ comments were not a full embrace of LGBTQ people. The church still calls homosexuality a sin. 

“It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” Francis said during the interview.  

“It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another,” he added. 

What has Pope Francis previously said about LGBTQ rights?  

Francis last year called on parents around the world to never condemn their children if they are gay.

• During a weekly general audience, he was speaking about the biblical figure Joseph. 
• Francis addressed parents “who see that their children have different sexual orientations, how they manage that and accompany their children and not hide behind a condemning attitude.”  
• “Never condemn a child,” he said 

However, the Vatican in 2021 said the Catholic Church and its priests cannot bless same-sex unions, arguing that God “cannot bless sin.”