Pope Francis used his pulpit with journalists aboard the papal plane on Sunday as he returned from East Africa to uphold his predecessor’s legacy and stand up for gay victims of anti-gay laws.
As he returned from South Sudan after a trip there and to the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said laws criminalizing homosexuality were a sin. He maintained that God loves and accompanies people who are attracted to people of the same sex.
François also said that the rumors of discord with his predecessor Benoît were incorrect. Instead, Francis said the two have regular consultations and are in agreement.
What did Pope Francis say?
Along with his colleagues in the Protestant Church in the UK, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Church of Scotland Moderator Iain Greenshields, the pope was asked to comment on laws banning homosexuality.
Pope Francis has called the criminalization of homosexuality wrong and said 50 countries have acted against people involved in same-sex relationships and 10 nations have listed the death penalty for gay people.
According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, 66 countries have laws in place that criminalize same-sex relationships.
Pope Francis also spoke about his relationship with his predecessor.
“I think Benedict’s death was instrumentalized,” he said. “People wanted to score points for their own team.”
Prior to Benedict’s death, his longtime secretary and several conservative cardinals published memos, books and interviews criticizing Pope Francis.
Benedict died on December 31 last year after residing in the Vatican as pope emeritus for the first decade of Francis’ pontificate.
On the flight back to the Vatican, he also called for the limitation of illegal arms sales, saying it was a precondition for peace.
What was the Pope doing in Africa?
South Sudan was the second of two stops for Pope Francis, the first being the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
South Sudan and the DRC have been ravaged by decades of conflict and have seen millions displaced as well as countless deaths.
“The arms trade is the greatest scourge of this world today. It is the scourge,” Pope Francis said.
Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan, called Pope Francis’ visit a “milestone” for the war-torn young nation.
ar/msh (AP, dpa, Reuters)
