Pope Francis ‘worried’ about Homosexuality in the priesthood

Pope Francis has said that homosexuality in the clergy is a “serious matter” that “worries” him.

The comments were made in an interview about religious vocations, given to a Spanish missionary priest as part of an upcoming book. The pontiff described homosexuality as “fashionable”, and urged clergy to observe their vow of celibacy.

Italian daily Corriere Della Sera ran excerpts of the interviews on its website on Saturday. Pope Francis said that the Church had to be “demanding” in choosing candidates for the priesthood.

“The question of homosexuality is a very serious one,” said the pontiff, adding that those responsible for training priests must make sure candidates are “humanly and emotionally mature” before they are ordained.

“For this reason, the Church urges that persons with this rooted tendency not to be accepted into ministry or consecrated life.” This also applied to women who wanted to become nuns.

Lloyd M’bwana

I’m a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource (LUANAR)’s Environmental Science graduate (Malawi) and UK’s ICM Journalism and Media studies scholar. Also University of Malawi (UNIMA) Library Science Scholar. I have been The Malawi Country Manager and duty editor for the Maravi Post since 2019. My duty editor’s job is to ensure that the news is covered properly, that it is delivered on time, and that it is created to the standards set out in the editorial guidelines of the Maravi Post.