Pope clarifies homosexuality and sin comments in note

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has clarified his comments about homosexuality and sin. In a note, he is making clear he was merely referring to official Catholic moral teaching that teaches that any sexual act outside of marriage is a sin. Francis first made the comments in an interview Jan. 24 with The Associated Press, in which he declared that laws criminalizing homosexuality were “unjust” and that “being homosexual is not a crime.” They were hailed by LGBTQ advocates. But Francis also noted that some people would raise official church teaching that considers homosexual acts to be a sin. He sought to clarify those comments in a note Friday to the Rev. James Martin, an American Jesuit who runs an LGBTQ Catholic outreach ministry.