Clarification on Pope’s ‘who am I to judge’ comments on homosexuality
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York , Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin , and Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Arizona have all released public statements explaining Pope Francis’ remarks on homosexuality made on the plane Monday returning from Rio. The main focus was on these remarks of Pope Francis: “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. It says one must not marginalize these persons, they must be integrated into society. The problem isn’t this (homosexual) orientation — we must be like brothers and sisters.” All three bishops point to Francis’ remarks as a restatement of traditional Catholic teaching on the matter, seeing the massive media attention as an opportunity to point out the Church’s loving stance. Bishop Olmsted said : Pope Francis’ remarks reiterate Catholic teaching that the Church is open to all people, including those with same-sex