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Pope reiterates more humane stance on gays

Sat 21 Sep 2013 In: International News

Pope Francis A move towards a more humane approach to homosexuals is considered likely after Catholic church leader Pope Francis restated his view that people should not be confined to 'moral ghettoes.' The pope has also warned that the Church's continuing obsession with issues such as homosexuality could lead to the disintegration of the church. The confessional, Francis also warned, is "not a torture chamber," in what is believed to be a clear message to those clerics in the church who promote persecution of homosexuals. U.S.-based theologian Massimo Faggioli said that under previous papacies the staunchly conservative side of the Catholic Church felt invulnerable. "Now they understand the whole picture has changed. There's a big process of adjustment ahead," he predicts. The pope, Faggioli said, was telling conservative Vatican bureaucrats, as well as bishops and priests around the world, that they could not automatically shun gays. "He's saying 'What we have been doing hasn't worked, it has turned people away from the Church. It's my responsibility as pope and bishop to see that this does not happen'," said Faggioli.    

Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff

First published: Saturday, 21st September 2013 - 9:11pm

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