Pope praises sex and says LGBTQ+ people welcome in Catholic Church: ‘All are children of God’

Pope Francis has said that he believes all people – including the LGBTQ+ community – are ‘children of God.’

The head of the Catholic Church also praised sex as “one of the beautiful things that God has given to the human person,” in the documentary The Pope Answers, which was released on Wednesday (5 April).

The film sees Pope Francis talk to a group of young adults about various subjects, including LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights, the porn industry, and much more.

When asked about his stance on LGBTQ+ people, he gave his support by saying that “God does not reject anybody.”

“God is a father, and I have no right to expel anyone from the Church,” he added.

He also praised sex as “beautiful,” saying that sexual expression is a fundamental part of human behaviour.

“To express yourself sexually is a richness. So anything that detracts from real sexual expression lessens you and depletes this richness.”

When asked about non-binary people by the group, he said that he knew what the label meant and reiterated that LGBTQ+ people are welcome by the Catholic Church.

The 260th Bishop of Rome’s views on LGBTQ+ rights have been incredibly rocky across his time in the papacy.

While he has routinely shown support for LGBTQ+ people – advocating for the abolishing of laws that blockade queer people’s rights – he has also spoken out against certain parts of the community.

In March 2023, he blasted what he described as ‘gender ideology,’ calling it one of the “most dangerous colonisations.“

In an interview with the Argentinian newspaper LA NACION, he said that pushing beyond gender boundaries “blurs differences and the value of men and women.”

“That erases humanity, the richness of humanity, both personal, culture, and social. The diversities and the tensions between differences.”

Additionally, while he has said that homosexuality is “not a crime,” he reiterated in January 2023 that he believes, under Catholic teachings, it is still a sin.

He made the comments during an interview with the Associated Press, acknowledging that several Catholic groups support harmful anti-LGBTQ+ laws, while saying that the community is still deserving of respect.

Later, he clarified those comments by saying that “criminalisation is neither good nor just.”

“When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin,” he added.

“Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault. As you can see, I was repeating something in general.”