Pope okays homosexual orientation

Pope Francis told reporters after flying back to Vatican that the Roman Catholic Church condemns homosexuality but not homosexual orientation. The pontiff was reacting t questions raised by curious reporters who sought the stand of the Catholic Church on some contentious issues. He asked, "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who I to judge him am?"

He also reaffirmed that he wanted women to have a greater role Church, but ruled out their role as priests.

The Pope was from his first foreign trip where he spent a week touring Brazil.  He crowned the journey with a colossal gathering on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro for the World Catholic Youth festival where close to 3 million people were in attendance.

The pope’s soft remarks on gay people sharply contrast those of his predecessor Pope emeritus Benedict the XVI. To some they are seen as much more conciliatory than harsh. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI issued a document in which he categorically stated that men with entrenched homosexual propensities should never be priests.

Pope Francis on the contrary says priests with gay tendencies should be forgiven and their iniquities forgotten.

Reacting on the controversial issues:

The pope while he referred to the said, “Pope Francis said in a wide-ranging 80-minute long interview with Vatican journalists.

The pope while talking to journalists in an interview lasting for 80 minutes said the Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear. "It says they should not be marginalized because of this but that they must be integrated into society." He quoted

The pope however, condemned what he referred to as lobbying by gay people.

He said "The problem is not having this orientation,". "We must be brothers. The problem is lobbying by this orientation, or lobbies of greedy people, political lobbies, Masonic lobbies, so many lobbies. This is the worse problem."

Concerning women role in church, he said: "We cannot limit the role of women in the Church to altar girls or the president of a charity, there must be more.

"But with regards to the ordination of women, the Church has spoken and says no... That door is closed."

About the Vatican bank, he said the institution has to become "honest and transparent". He further said: "I don't know what will become of the bank. Some say it is better that is a bank, others that it should be a charitable fund and others say close it," he said.