Vita gazette: Pope Francis has described laws criminalizing homosexuality as “unjust” and said, “homosexuality is a sin, but not a crime”. The Pope also urged Catholic bishops who support each other’s bans on welcoming LGBTQ people into the church. “We separate crime from sin,” he said.

From Pope Francis, An interpretation fits Jesus’ teaching, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Pope Francis was interviewed on various topics by the Associated news agency; among other things, he was asked to talk about countries where there are laws prohibiting same-sex sexual relations. The Pope said: “Being homosexual is not a crime.” Then he added, mentioning a possible counter to his statement: “Yes, but it’s a shame.” Yes, but we distinguish between sin and crime.”

Sixty-seven countries in the world criminalize homosexual sexual acts, according to the NGO Human Dignity Trust, which seeks to abolish the laws in this regard; of these, 11 can provide for the death penalty. Pope Francis acknowledged that in some parts of the world, there are bishops who support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against homosexual people: he attributed such positions to the culture of origin of these bishops. However, he said they should embark on a path of change to recognize the dignity of every person. He also called the laws against homosexuality “unjust” and said that the Catholic Church must work to ensure that they are abolished. The Pope will soon travel to Africa, where such laws are common.