A gay man who had a conversation with Pope Francis on child abuse revealed the comments Pope made about him. Juan Carlos Cruz, who was a victimized of a child abused by a priest Fernando Karadima, said that Pope Francis told him during a private meeting that it doesn’t matter to him that he is a gay man.
While giving an interview to a Spanish newspaper El País, Cruz said that Pope told him that being a gay man doesn’t matter for him. God made him this way and he will be liked this way, said Pope to Cruz. Cruz said that Pope endorsed him by saying that Pope is happy with him.
Pope made comments about Cruz’s child abuse case as it came in the conversation. Cruz was a victim of Chilean Clerical abuse and Pope called him and other victims to discuss the case last month. During the meeting, Cruz told Pope how Chile’s bishops used him to fulfill their internal desires. He also discussed the pain he bears with the personal attacks made on him. While giving an interview to The Associated Press, Cruz told that Pope said to him, “Look, Cruz, you are made by the God and he loves you this way and Pope also loves you this way.”
As a policy, Vatican’s do not comment on the personal meeting with Pope. They neither deny nor confirm the remarks of the Pope. So abiding by the laws. Cruz did not make comments on the private meeting he had with the Pope. Spain’s El Pais newspaper was the first to unveil these comments.
All the churches teach to respect the gays and the lesbians but they also consider it as an essential disorder. But the comments made by Pope Francis on Cruz had welcomed the gays warmly than ever before.
Back in 2013, the Pope said he had no right to judge gay people. While coming from Brazil, Pope endorsed the position of Roman Catholic about gay people that their deeds are condemnable but not their orientation. The Pope made these remarks when he was asked about a gay lobby in the Vatican.
And in response, the Pope said that if a person is gay and has a good will then who is he to judge him? Back in 2005, a document was signed by Pope Benedict XVI in which it was stated that gay people with homophile tendencies cannot be a priest. In response, the Pope said that the actions of gay people should be forgotten. While giving an interview to a Vatican journalist, Pope said that everyone should try to integrate gays into the society.
While commenting further on this issue, Pope addressed his own ministry to gays to love these people as they are also the child of God. He further said that God loves his children and the human beings are advised to do the same. As a result of these comments, many people tried to downplay these comments of the Pope by linking them to the pastoral-minded attitude of the Pope. Not long ago, the Pope said that no one chooses to be gay or lesbian but God made them so and these people had nothing to do with it.
In the first edition of Catechism of the Catholic Church which was published in 1992, it was stated that gay people had no control over to choose their interests but it is a trial for them from God. The comments made by the Pope about Cruz was highly praised by the executive director of New Ways Ministry, Francis DeBernardo as he labeled these comments as tremendous.
He further said that the comments made by the Pope would do a lot of good. DeBernardo said that it would have been a lot better if Pope made these comments publically so that all the LGBT people could hear these comments from a religious person.
The writer of the book “Building a Bridge”, Jesuit Rev. James Martin said these comments were made in a private meeting and not publically and had no significance importance. The Pope is telling the same thing as every biologist would tell you that gay people had no control over choosing their orientation, said Martin while giving a telephone interview.