What was the Pope's exact quote and what was it about?

[oneofmany]

Does anyone have the exact quote from the Pope when he said, “Who am I to judge?” I am getting tired of people using it to justify gay marriage, etc. He didn’t mean it that way and I thought he was just speaking of one person when he said it.

Can anyone help with this? Thanks.

 

[DavidFilmer]

Here’s an article from National Catholic Reporter.

 

[Dorothy]

Does anyone have the exact quote from the Pope when he said, “Who am I to judge?” I am getting tired of people using it to justify gay marriage, etc. He didn’t mean it that way and I thought he was just speaking of one person when he said it.

Can anyone help with this? Thanks.

Here is the last paragraph of that article that was suggested to be read:

Pope Francis: “When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem … they’re our brothers.”

I see the words: "The tendency (to homosexuality) is not the problem…they’re our brothers.

That says to me that the tendency is not the problem…it is acting on the tendency that is the problem.

The grace of God through prayer and the sacraments helps the person struggling with this to refrain from acting on the tendency.

 

[Joe_5859]

If you’re looking for the fuller context of some misinterpretation of something Pope Francis said, you can bet that Jimmy Akin has written an article about it.

7 things you need to know about what Pope Francis said about gays

Akin always does a great job of summarizing the situation and giving the context. In this case, he provides a lengthy excerpt as well as a link to the full transcript.

 

[EmeraldOak]

Thanks OP for asking this question & to everyone who explained. I have been wondering this same thing for a long time.

 

[oneofmany]

Well it seems vague enough for the public to jump on it and say the Pope is not that concerned with gay people. Even married gays can have a goodwill and seek the Lord.

Now he is talking about forgiveness for abortion and the same thing could happen. The public can say the Pope isn’t the concerned with abortion. I sure hope this does not take the spotlight off PP and selling baby body parts.

I know this Pope is pastoral but we also need a Pope who is clear and concise on the message Christ left us, not being vague about it.

 

[Dorothy]

Here is the last paragraph of that article that was suggested to be read:

Pope Francis: “When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem … they’re our brothers.”

I see the words: "The tendency (to homosexuality) is not the problem…they’re our brothers.

That says to me that the tendency is not the problem…it is acting on the tendency that is the problem.

The grace of God through prayer and the sacraments helps the person struggling with this to refrain from acting on the tendency.

Clearly Pope Francis said that the "tendency is not the problem ", but without precisely saying that acting on the tendency is the problem.