Pope's Gay Speech

From the BBC:
"Pope Francis: Who am I to judge gay people?"

Pope Francis has said gay people should not be marginalised but integrated into society. Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil, he reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's position that homosexual acts were sinful, but homosexual orientation was not. He was responding to questions about whether there was a "gay lobby" in the Vatican. "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?" He also said he wanted a greater role for women in the Church, but insisted they could not be priests. The Pope arrived back in Rome on Monday after a week-long tour of Brazil - his first trip abroad as pontiff - which climaxed with a huge gathering on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach for a world Catholic youth festival. Festival organisers estimated it attracted more than three million people.  His remarks on gay people are being seen as much less judgemental than his predecessor's position on the issue.  Pope Benedict XVI signed a document in 2005 that said men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests.  But Pope Francis said gay clergymen should be forgiven and their sins forgotten. "The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well," Pope Francis said in a wide-ranging 80-minute long interview with Vatican journalists. "It says they should not be marginalised because of this but that they must be integrated into society."

^ Since no priest (homosexual or not) is allowed to marry or have sex this speech is a little pointless. If any of them act on their desires then they are excommunicated regardless if it was a man or woman. I also don't see his remarks about women in the Church as anything special since he says they will never become priests. Basically, while the Pope is said to be modern and wanting change so far his only change is talking with no action. ^

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23489702