During an interview with the Associated Press, Pope Francis spoke about the church’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. 

He said that laws that criminalize homosexuality are wrong and that God loves all his children. Although he believes homosexuality shouldn’t be illegal, he believes it is a sin.

The Pope said that Catholic bishops and priests should welcome members of the gay community into their churches and that they shouldn’t be shunned. 

The Pope acknowledged that many Catholic bishops and priests in the world support the criminalization of homosexuality. He said heads of the church need to treat everyone with dignity. 

According to the Human Dignity Trust, more than 65 countries worldwide have laws against homosexuality, and 11 impose harsh punishments, including the death penalty. Even though extremely harsh laws are not enforced in most countries, LGBTQ+ people experience harassment, violence, and stigmatization.

Eleven US states still have anti-sodomy laws on the books, despite such laws being declared unconstitutional in 2003 by the Supreme Court. The states include Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.

The United Nations has advocated for an end to the criminalization of homosexuality for a long time, saying that such laws violate the right to privacy and freedom from discrimination. The UN also says that countries with such laws do not protect people’s human rights regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.

Pope Francis said laws against homosexuals are “unjust” and insisted that the Catholic church join in the efforts to change the law.

In many African and Middle Eastern countries, laws against homosexuality are common, dating back to colonial times and, in the Middle East, are supported by Islamic law.

Although the Pope said homosexuality it is not a crime, he still supports the Catholic church’s teachings that sex between people of the same sex is “intrinsically disordered.”