The hard-Left Associated Press blared the “news” from the rooftops: “Pope says homosexuality not a crime,” screamed the headline on Wednesday.
“Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as ‘unjust,’ saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church,” said the lead.
“‘Being homosexual isn’t a crime,’ Francis said during an exclusive interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.”
The AP went further, saying: “Francis’ comments, which were hailed by gay rights advocates as a milestone, are the first uttered by a pope about such laws. But they are also consistent with his overall approach to LGBTQ people and belief that the Catholic Church should welcome everyone and not discriminate.”
But toward the end of the lengthy story, the wire service added this quote from the pope, saying he “articulated the position”:
“It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” the pontiff said.
So, as President Joe Biden said last week about all those classified documents being found in his properties, “there’s no there there.”
Pope Francis has long said that the Catholic Church is open to all. Jesus Christ famously preached tolerance and understanding for all of God’s children.
The pope said discriminating against others was sinful: “It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another, so what about that?”
And for the record, the church views all sex outside of Catholic marriage as sinful, not just homosexual sex. So the pope really wasn’t saying anything new — let alone newsworthy.
What’s more, the Catholic Church doctrine says gay people must be welcomed into the church and treated with respect, even if their homosexual acts are considered “intrinsically disordered.”
The church has said this before. In 2021, the Vatican’s doctrinal office decreed that the church could not bless same-sex unions because “God cannot bless sin.”
And back in 2020, Francis did express support for making some sort of mechanism for same-sex unions. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” Francis said in the documentary, “Francesco,” which debuted at the Rome Film Festival, noting he views gay people as children of God. “I stood up for that,” The New York Times reported.
Even his declaration that homosexuality is not a crime is not new. The pope has condemned laws in some nations that deem homosexuality a crime, saying bishops from those countries should undergo a process of “conversion” to help them welcome LGBTQ people into their ministry “with tenderness.”
We should note, however, that it is unclear which reboot of the “Spiderman” series the pope prefers. We’ll bring that to you promptly when we find out because that will be news.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.