“Aci Prensa”, 7 January 2014.
Malta - Pope Francis, “shocked” by a bill that would allow homosexual couples in Malta to adopt children, has encouraged Malta’s Bishop, Msgr. Charles Scicluna, to speak out against it publicly, within the framework of the debate on the issue in that country.
In statements to The Sunday Times of Malta, Msgr. Charles Scicluna reported: “With the Holy Father, we discussed many aspects and when I raised the issue that’s worrying me as a bishop [the right for gay couples to adopt] he encouraged me to speak out” against it.
The Bishop spoke about the importance of strong families during his Christmas homily. His concerns are due to the fact that lawmakers in Malta have recently submitted a bill to allow same-sex unions and child adoption.
The news concerning the words of the Pope to Bishop Scicluna has caused surprise and criticism from some media commentators and the editor of Britain's Daily Telegraph blog wondered if Time Magazine “would withdraw the recognition of Man of the year” it awarded to the Holy Father.
Some commentators and media have portrayed Pope Francis as if he were moving toward a change in the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, recalling comments made in July during the return trip from Rio de Janeiro to the Vatican, “If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with good will,who am I to judge?”
The Pope warned against the excessive importance that was being given to moral issues such as homosexuality by some people in the church, saying that with this view there’s a risk reducing the Gospel to a simple moral code.
These comments were quoted by the LGBT magazine “The Advocate”, which named Pope Francis its 2013 Man of the Year.
Yet, the Holy Father has also said on several occasions that he is a “son of the Church” and agrees with the moral teachings that she proclaims.
Francis, at the time he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires (Argentina), Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, spoke out against the legalization of “same-sex marriage” in Argentina in 2010, saying that this was a “destructive pretension against the plan of God.”
When he participated in NBC’s program “Meet the Press,” on December 1st, 2013, the Archbishop of New York (USA), Cardinal Timothy Dolan, explained that the Pope will not change the Church’s doctrine on moral issues, nor can he do so.
Instead of this—he said—the Holy Father is offering a change in emphasis, calling Catholics to live the Church’s teaching to love and respect all individuals, while working to promote the Gospel, including the Catholic moral teaching.
