Pope Francis has declared it is not his place to judge gay people, but the Catholic Church still considers homosexual acts to be sinful.
The Pontiff made the comments to reporters while on a flight to Rome following a week-long tour of Brazil as part of his first overseas trip since being elected Pope in March. When asked about whether there was a "gay lobby" in the Vatican he said: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?" He said people should not be marginalised because of their sexual orientation but also reaffirmed the Catholic Church's universal principals, which says that while homosexual orientation is not sinful, homosexual acts are.
Caroline Farrow from Catholic Voices tells Premier why she's not surprised by the Pope's comments:
Reporters on the plane from Rio said the Pope had been candid and high-spirited and didn't dodge a single question. He even thanked the person who asked about reports of a "gay lobby" inside the Vatican, and about Italian press reports that one of the advisers he had appointed to look into the Vatican Bank had been accused of having gay trysts.
According to several media outlets represented on the aircraft, Pope Francis said he had investigated the reports and found them groundless.
However, he added that while such a lobby would be an issue, he did not have anything against gays and that their sins should be forgiven. He said that while homosexuals should be treated with dignity, using sexual orientation for blackmail or pressure was a different matter.
He said:
"The problem is not having this orientation, it is lobbying. That's the most serious problem I think."
Pope Francis spoke only in Italian or Spanish to reporters, but apparently displayed a sense of jovial humour when he said:
"You see a lot written about the gay lobby [in the Vatican]. I still have not yet seen anyone in the Vatican with an identity card saying they are gay."
Savi Hensman from the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement tells Premier why she's pleased with the Pope's position:
The Pope also told reporters that while Pope John Paul II had "definitively closed the door" to female priests, he wants women to play a stronger role in the 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."
The Pope has just completed his first trip abroad as Pontiff, which ended with a huge gathering on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach for a world Catholic youth festival. Festival organisers estimated it attracted more than three million people.