Pope tells transgender person: “God loves us as we are”

Pope Francis told a transgender person that “God loves us as we are”. The comments, reported by Vatican media on Tuesday, came from a podcast in which Francis listened to and responded to audio messages from young people ahead of a Catholic youth festival he will participate in in Portugal next week. One of the youths was Giona, a 20-something Italian who said she was “torn by the dichotomy between faith [católica] and transgender identity.” Francis responded that “the Lord always walks with us… Even if we are sinners, He comes close to help us. The Lord loves us as we are, this is the crazy love of God”. The Catholic Church teaches that members of the LGBT community should be treated with respect, compassion and sensitivity, and their human rights respected. Whether the Church can and should be more welcoming to LGBT people, for example, offering blessings for same-sex unions, is a particularly sensitive topic. , the 86-year-old pontiff reaffirmed that marriage can only be understood as a lifelong union between one man and one woman. He supports civil laws that give same-sex couples rights in bureaucratic matters such as pensions and health care. Conservatives dispute Francis’ more accepting and less judgmental attitude toward the LGBT community, though he consistently refers to traditional Catholic teaching that same-sex attraction is not sinful, but same-sex acts are. An upcoming world bishops’ summit, scheduled for October 2024, is expected to discuss the Church’s position regarding LGBT people, women and Catholics who have been divorced and remarried outside the Church. *Reproduction of this content is prohibited

Agência Brasil