Pope on flight home says Church open to LGBT people, but has rules

Record ID: 1736815

  • Title: Pope on flight home says Church open to LGBT people, but has rules
  • Date: 6th August 2023
  • Summary: IN AIR (AUGUST 6, 2023) (AGENCY POOL) POPE FRANCIS ARRIVING FOR PRESS CONFERENCE ABOARD AIRPLANE RETURNING FROM PORTUGAL TRIP POPE BEING HELPED TO SIT FOR THE IN-FLIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE FRANCIS DURING HOLDING A PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE FRANCIS, SAYING: (ASKED WHETHER POPE'S STATEMENT DURING PORTUGAL TRIP THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS "OPEN TO EVERYONE" IS INCOHERENT WITH WOMEN AND GAY PEOPLE NOT HAVING THE SAME RIGHTS AND NOT BEING ABLE RECEIVE SOME SACRAMENTS) "The Church is open to everyone, then there are rules that regulate life within the church, and someone who is inside and follows the rules cannot administer sacraments, this to say it in a simplified way like you said. (But) This does not mean it is closed, everyone meets God in their own way within the Church, and the Church is mother, and it guides everyone in their own way." POPE DURING PRESSER (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE FRANCIS, SAYING: "My health is good, they took out the stitches, and I conduct a normal life, I have a girdle that I have to keep for two, three months to avoid the chance of eventration (abdominal hernia) until the muscles will be stronger, but I'm good. About the eyesight, I cut the speech shorter when I was at that parish because there was a light in front of me and I couldn’t read, that’s why I cut it." POPE DURING PRESSER (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE FRANCIS, SAYING: "Young people don’t have a lot of attention. Think, if you make a speech clear with an idea, an image and a feeling, they can follow you for eight minutes. By the way, in the ‘Evangelii Gaudium,’ the first exhortation I did, I wrote a long, a long chapter about homily. There is a priest here, he knows it. Homilies sometimes are a torture, a torture. They talk, blah, blah, blah. And sometimes in some villages, I don’t know if that happens in Termoli too (the town from where the priest on board is from) but in some villages the men go out to smoke a cigarette. Church must convert itself about this aspect of homily, short, clear, with a clear and loving message." POPE SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) POPE FRANCIS, SAYING: "The Mediterranean (sea) is a graveyard, but it is not the biggest graveyard, the biggest graveyard is the North Africa, that is terrible. That is why I am going to Marseilles. Last week (French) president (Emmanuel) Macron told me that it is also his intention to come to Marseilles, and I will stay there one day and a half, I will be there in the afternoon and the full following day." POPE LISTENING TO QUESTIONS FROM JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) POPE FRANCIS, SAYING: "As you know I met in a very reserved way with people who were abused. As I always do in these cases we talked about this plague, this terrible plague. In the church that has been more or less the same conduct that is currently followed in a family, in the neighbourhood, it’s covered up. Consider that 42% of abuses more or less happen in families or in the neighbourhood, still we have to help come to the idea that we must uncover these things." JOURNALISTS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE PHOTOGRAPHER TAKING PHOTOS FROM HIS SEAT POPE LEAVING AFTER PRESS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF PORTUGUESE AIR FORCE JET ESCORTING PAPAL PLANE OUT OF PORTUGUESE AIRSPACE
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2023 23:51
  • Keywords: World Youth Day abuse catholic youth health update mass papel plane pope portugal visit 2023 preaching reaching youth rome sacrament
  • Location: IN AIR
  • City: IN AIR
  • Country: Portugal
  • Topics: Europe,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA001273606082023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PART VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING
    Pope Francis said on Sunday (August 6) that the Catholic Church is open to everyone, including members of the gay community, and that it has a duty to accompany them on a personal path of spirituality but within the framework of its rules.
    Since the start of his papacy, Francis has been trying to make the Church more welcoming and less condemning, including to members of the LGBT community, but without changing teachings that urge those with same-sex attraction to be chaste.
    Francis, speaking to reporters on the plane returning to Rome from Portugal, also said his health was good following surgery for an abdominal hernia in June. He said his stitches had been removed but had to wear an abdominal band for another two or three months until his muscles strengthened.
    Flying back from the World Youth Day Catholic festival in Portugal, the 86-year-old pope appeared in good form as he took questions for about half an hour at his customary freewheeling post-trip press conference, speaking on an upcoming France visit, clerical sex abuse, and how to reach young people through prayer.
    (Production: Isabella Ronca)
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