In 2021, many in the L.G.B.T.Q. community took Francis to task for a ruling issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith barring priests from blessing same-sex unions, calling such a blessing “not licit.”
Reaction to the pope’s call for decriminalization was immediate.
“Pope Francis’ historic call for the decriminalization of homosexuality worldwide is an immense step forward for L.G.B.T.Q. people, their families and all who love them,” said Father James Martin, the editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America, who said he specifically discussed the issue with Francis at various meetings. “This is the first time that any pope has made such a clear statement about this issue of life and death.” He added that the pope “is siding, as he always does, with life, with human dignity and with the belief that all of us are created in the image of God.”
Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, an advocacy group, called Francis’ remarks “a game changer in the fight to decriminalize L.G.B.T.Q. people and also illustrate the work that needs to be done with religious leaders to finally show that being L.G.B.T.Q. is not a sin.”
Francis addressed a wide range of other issues in the interview, including the diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China (“The main thing, the dialogue doesn’t break”) and the use of guns by civilians for self-defense in the United States after the recent mass shootings in California. (It “becomes a habit,” Francis said. “Instead of making the effort to help us live, we make the effort to help us kill.”)
The 86-year-old pontiff said he was in “good health,” but he also revealed that diverticulosis, a colon condition, had “returned.” Francis had surgery in 2021 to remove a section of his colon because of the condition.
In recent years, Francis’ health has caused intermittent concern. Last summer, he postponed a challenging trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan (which he will make next week) because of problems with his right knee. He told The A.P. that a slight bone fracture in his knee had healed after laser and magnet therapy.
The pope also has problems with sciatica, a chronic nerve condition that causes back, hip and leg pain, and makes him walk with a limp. Flare-ups of that condition have forced him to cancel or modify high-profile appearances.
