Before the Rome bashing starts I would be interested in hearing what Francis actually said in context. Just saying.
It looks like he is saying gay couples can be in a "civil" union . . . not in holy matrimony as Roman Catholicism sees holy matrimony. There are gays who would consider this to be compromise > a number of gay activists demand to have marriage which is considered the same as that of heterosexual marriage.
He seems to justify his statement, by saying all gays are children of God and therefore they have a right to be in families.
So, I am thinking about Romans 1:18-32. Verse 27, here, says ones who refused God were
"receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due."
And with this I think of > Romans 3:16-18 > about how ones not with God have
"misery" and
"destruction", and they do not know
"the way of peace".
Of course, there are heterosexuals who claim the bible while they meet this description of being miserable and in destruction within themselves. Anyone's sinning has built-in
"penalty of their error which was due," in my opinion. Plus, there can be consequences much worse than our sins deserve; because sin is not fair.
So, in any case, it is interesting how ones can even promote what is in reality a consequence and penalty of refusing God! And there is no right thing, really, which you can do with a wrong person who stays wrong. Jesus wants us to repent of what is wrong. If our hearts have wrong desires and preferences, God is able to correct our hearts > Hebrews 12:4-14 < so, in case a pope claims that wrong people are children of God, Hebrews 12:4-14 guarantees how our Father corrects His children.
many feel that his words indicate some degree of endorsement or approval of homosexual unions/acts, if only by implication. Others may disagree. At the very least, it appears that the Pope's words have caused confusion and concern for many Catholics.
Donald Trump has been a major competitor for attention, these days. Even if he says things which . . . get criticized . . . he is getting attention so voters know who he is. Likewise, ones can do things and say things to get attention to their religious groups; even if they say wrong things, they are getting publicity.
But does God have our attention????
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
I mean, then, are we attentive to our Father in
"the way of peace", so we are submissive to Him and how He cares for us and personally rules us in His own peace?
There is indeed competition to get our attention elsewhere . . . to very deeply wrong people and where they would take our attention and us.
Catholics being receptive to same-sex unions
There are people who are brought up to be culturally Catholic. But, deep inside themselves they don't buy it; ones might deeply realize they are getting nowhere with their Catholic practice, and they know they deeply are not right; so they might decide they have no need to criticize gays, since they themselves are not doing so great.
Our character has a lot to do with what we are able to believe.
So, this is not only an issue of morals and theory; this has to do with our real character which can decide what we are capable of believing and doing.
I would offer how there is no such thing as sexual preference, really. Because there is only one way to reproduce. And sex is what can result in reproduction.
But what happens is people like the pleasure of sexual sensations. Their preference is, really, not for reproducing but for the pleasure which is a treasure for people. They love the pleasure; so they feel intimate and even in love with someone they can use to get their pleasure feelings. However, they are not truly intimate with the person they use; but they are intimate with their own pleasure feelings.
And so they are worshiping the creature more than the Creator, like Romans 1:18-32 says people did.
