Pope Francis’ Message To Gay Australian Catholics

One of the oldest LGBTQI Catholic groups in the world, Australia-based Acceptance, said that Pope Francis had congratulated the group on its 50th anniversary. 

Founded in 1973, Acceptance is the second oldest LGBTQI Catholic group in the world and has chapters in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. 

Cam, a member of the Melbourne chapters said that the organisation was “surprised and delighted” to receive the Pope’s message. 

Happy Greetings From Pope

“None of us expected such a greeting, but Pope Francis is such a wonderful Pope, why were we surprised?”, Cam said in a statement provided to Star Observer.

“His welcoming, pastoral and caring interaction with LGBTQ+ people, extending back to his time as Archbishop and Cardinal in Argentina, is a powerful signpost and his greetings on our 50th anniversary reinforces his genuine concern for those marginalised in the Church”.

According to the group, the Pope’s message was conveyed via an American nun Sister Jeannine Gramick, who had worked with Acceptance and told the Pope about the organisation’s 50th anniversary. 

“Sr Jeannine said Pope Francis told her to pass on his “happy greetings at this time of your anniversary” and to advise that he was praying that Acceptance members would every year “grow closer in love with our Lord Jesus Christ’,” the group said in a press statement. 

It’s A Sin

Fr Claude Mostowik, former National Coordinator of Acceptance said that Pope’s message to the Australian group was a milestone and “validates the importance of our work in creating a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ individuals within the Catholic community.”

According to the Human Rights Camp, Pope Francis’ tenure has seen “adoption of a more conciliatory tone toward LGBTQ people than that of his predecessors.”

In January, Pope Francis spoke out against laws that criminalise gay sex. The Pope, however, maintained the Church’s teachings ‘Hate the sin, not the sinner’.

“It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin,” Pope Francis told the Associated Press. In 2013, the Pope famously said about gay Christians: “If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them?”

Earlier this month, the Pope said that the Catholic Church was open to everyone, including the gay community, but underlined the dichotomy of a Church that does not accept same-sex marriages.

“The Church is open to everyone but there are laws that regulate life inside the church. According to the legislation, they cannot partake in (some) sacraments. This does not mean that it is closed. Each person encounters God in their own way inside the Church,” Pope Francis told reporters.

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