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| Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference on the papal plane returning from Armenia, Sunday, June 26, 2016. / AP-Yonhap |
By Kim Da-hee
Pope Francis says Christians should apologize to gay people and other marginalized communities.
At a press conference on the papal plane returning from Armenia, he was asked about a recent comment by a German Catholic cardinal who claimed the church owed gay people an apology for contributing to their marginalization.
Recalling the Catholic Church's catechism, the Pope said Christians should not discriminate against sexual minorities. He said gay people have to be respected. "I believe that the church should apologize to a gay person whom it has offended," he said.
The Pope then expanded the apology's range, saying: "They must also apologize to the poor, to the exploited women, to children exploited for labor."
He said Christians have to be like brothers and sisters, invoking his famous 2013 remark: "If a person who has that condition, who has goodwill, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?"
