Pope Francis says that the Catholic Church should apologise for offending gay people

His remarks come on foot of those made in Dublin by German Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, a member of the pope’s ‘C-9’ council of cardinal advisors and a major force in his recent Synods of Bishops on the family.

During a talk in Trinity College on Friday (June 24), Cardinal Marx called on the Church to apologise to the LGBT community, remarking that “the history of homosexuals in our societies is very bad, because we’ve done a lot to marginalise [them].”

“As Church and society, we have to say ‘Sorry, Sorry’,” he added.

On Sunday while flying to Rome from Armenia, Pope Francis was asked if an apology was made more urgent by the killing of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida this month.

The pontiff recalled Church teachings that homosexuals “should not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally.”

He added: “I think that the Church not only should apologise … to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologise for having blessed so many weapons.”

Our two cents: The treatment of LGBT people by the Catholic Church must change, if there is to be any real substance to this apology. The Church should also condemn the treatment of LGBT people by other oppressive religions too.