Hajja Salesjana April-June 2020

28 Aboard the papal plane, on his way back from Georgia and Azerbaijan in October 2016 Pope Francis criticized what he called the “wicked” push of gender theory in schools, but stressed that individuals who struggle with their sexual identity ought to be treated with mercy, as Jesus would do. “In my life as a priest and bishop, even as Pope, I have accompanied people with homosexual tendencies, I have also met homosexual persons, accompanied them, brought them closer to the Lord...and I have never abandoned them,” the Pope said. These people must be accompanied in the same way that Jesus would accompany them, he said, noting that Jesus would never tell a person “go away because you are homosexual.” However, while these people must be shown love, there is a “wickedness which today is done in the indoctrination of gender theory.” Gender theory or ideology is the idea that one's 'gender' is chosen and need not correspond with one's biological sex. Francis recounted how a Catholic father had once told him that as he was sitting at the table with his children, he asked his 10-year-old son what he wanted to be when he grew up. When the son replied “a girl,” he realized his son was being taught gender theory in school. “This is against the natural things,” he said. “One thing is that a person has this tendency, this condition and even changes their sex, but it's another thing to teach this in line in schools in order to change the mentality. This is what I call ideological colonization.” Pope Francis spoke to journalists while on board his flight from Baku to Rome, bringing an end to his three-day visit to the Caucasus nations of Georgia and Azerbaijan. The 11 questions asked during the inflight news conference covered a variety of topics in addition to gender theory, such as Vatican relations with China, future trips and topics related to each of the countries he visited. The question on gender theory was prompted by comments the Pope made in an audience with priests, religious and pastoral workers, during which he called gender theory “a great enemy of marriage today.” Pope Francis: Love those who struggle, but don't push gender theory on kids By Elise Harris (CNA / EWTN News) Photo: Kevin Gent on www.unsplash.com