Pope Francis has sensationally said the Catholic Church is "obsessed" with preaching about issues like abortion and gay marriage and that it needs to stop interfering.
In an incredibly frank interview with the Italian Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica, the Pope said the church has the right to express its opinions but not to "interfere spiritually" in the lives of gays and lesbians.
Dismissing critics who say he should be more vocal about fighting abortion and gay marriage, the Pope said the Church "sometimes locked itself up in small things."
Describing his new vision for the church he said: “We have to find a new balance,” saying it should be a “home for all” and not a “small chapel.”
"Otherwise," the Pope continued, “even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards.”
He added that women must play a more key role in church decisions but emphatically stated that the "door is closed," on women's ordination.
"The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions," he said. "The church cannot be herself without the woman and her role."
Expanding on the explosive comments he made about homosexuality in July when he was returning to Rome from Rio de Janeiro, where he had celebrated World Youth Day, the Pope said he has no right to judge anyone from the LGBT community.
“A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality,” he said in the interview.
“I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’ We must always consider the person.”
Now, he has admitted he has faced criticism, but determinedly insisted that the church's priorities must change to incorporate his views.
“We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods," he said.
"I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that."
"It is not necessary to talk about these issues all the time," Francis said.
Pope Francis Quotes On The Poor
Stealing from the tables of the the poor(01 of21)
Open Image Modal'Money Has To Serve, Not To Rule!'(02 of21)
Open Image Modal'Poor Church For The Poor'(03 of21)
Open Image ModalMen And Women Sacrificed To the Idols Of Profit (04 of21)
Open Image Modal'If Banks Fail It is A Tragedy, If People Die Of Hunger It's Nothing'(05 of21)
Open Image ModalChoose A Humble Car(06 of21)
Open Image Modal'Slave Labor Goes Against God' (07 of21)
Open Image Modal(08 of21)
Open Image Modal"To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us." (credit:@pontifex)
(09 of21)
Open Image Modal"We cannot sleep peacefully while babies are dying of hunger and the elderly are without medical assistance." (credit:@pontifex)
(10 of21)
Open Image Modal"There are many people in need in today’s world. Am I self-absorbed in my own concerns or am I aware of those who need help?" (credit:@pontifex)
(11 of21)
Open Image Modal"True charity requires courage: let us overcome the fear of getting our hands dirty so as to help those in need." (credit:@pontifex)
(12 of21)
Open Image Modal"The “throw-away” culture produces many bitter fruits, from wasting food to isolating many elderly people." (credit:@pontifex)
(13 of21)
Open Image Modal"If money and material things become the center of our lives, they seize us and make us slaves." (credit:@pontifex)
(14 of21)
Open Image Modal"Let us ask the Lord to give us the gentleness to look upon the poor with understanding and love, devoid of human calculation and fear." (credit:@pontifex)
(15 of21)
Open Image Modal"Take care of God’s creation. But above all, take care of people in need." (credit:@pontifex)
(16 of21)
Open Image Modal"To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us." (credit:@pontifex)
(17 of21)
Open Image Modal"How marvellous it would be if, at the end of the day, each of us could say: today I have performed an act of charity towards others!" (credit:@pontifex)
No More 'Profit At Any Cost'(18 of21)
Open Image Modal"My thoughts turn to all who are unemployed, often as a result of a self-centred mindset bent on profit at any cost." (credit:@pontifex)
'Prayer, Humility, Charity'(19 of21)
Open Image Modal"Prayer, humility, and charity toward all are essential in the Christian life: they are the way to holiness." (credit:@pontifex)
'Moral And Material Poverty'(20 of21)
Open Image Modal"How many kinds of moral and material poverty we face today as a result of denying God and putting so many idols in his place!" (credit:@pontifex)
On Waste(21 of21)
Open Image Modal"Consumerism has accustomed us to waste. But throwing food away is like stealing it from the poor and hungry." (credit:@pontifex)