Vatican City, Apr 1, 2019 / 10:40 am
Pope Francis said Sunday that homosexual tendencies are not sins, and that parents who are concerned about tendencies in their children should take them for psychological assessment before jumping to conclusions.
Asked about "Who am I to judge," a well-known remark the pope made in 2013, Francis said that "sin is an act: of thought, word and deed, with freedom. Tendencies are not sin. If you have a tendency to anger, it is not a sin."
"Now, if you are angry and hurt people, the sin is there," he added, highlighting the distinction between inclination and act that is central to the Church's moral teaching regarding homosexuality.
Pope Francis was speaking during a March 31 Spanish television interview conducted by Spanish journalist Jordi Évole. The interview aired on Spain's La Sexta channel Sunday night.