Pope Francis says Christians should apologise to gay people

The pontiff says Church teachings dictate that gay people should not be discriminated against, but respected.

 Pope Francis speaks to journalists during an in-flight press conference on his way back to the Vatican.

Pope Francis said on Sunday that Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should seek forgiveness from gay people for the way they had treated them.
In an hour-long conversation with reporters on the plane taking him back to Rome from Armenia,the pontiff was asked if he agreed with recent comments by a German Roman Catholic cardinal that the Church should apologies to gay people.

The pope recalled Church teachings, saying: “[Gay people] should not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally.

“I think that the Church not only should apologies … to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologies 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 apologies for having blessed so many weapons.”
The Church teaches that homosexuality is not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste.

 “There is only one pope,” he said. He praised Benedict, 89, for “protecting me, having my back, with his prayers”.

Francis said he had heard that when some Church officials had gone to Benedict to complain that Francis was too liberal, Benedict “sent them packing”.