As part of a BBC documentary, Pope
Francis told UK comedian Stephen K. Amos that gay people have
dignity.
The documentary, titled Pilgrimage:
The Road to Rome, follows eight celebrities as they trek from
Canterbury to Rome.
In an interview with i, Amos,
who is openly gay, said that he refused to meet with Francis unless
he was allowed to ask about LGBT rights.
“I’ve been quite vocal in my
criticism in certain aspects of the Catholic Church. I thought a
private audience meant you go and see him, he blesses you and you
leave. I couldn’t in all conscience go and do that, it’s not me,”
Amos said.
“Then I said I’d only go if we can
ask questions. The producers asked, well, what sort of questions, as
we don’t want to spark a diplomatic incident. So we gave in some
questions and the answer came back from the Vatican that the Pope
will answer any questions that you have.”
Amos told Pope Francis: “I lost my
mother; three months ago I buried my twin sister, who were both very
religious. So me coming on this pilgrimage, being non-religious, I
was looking for answers and faith. But as a gay man, I don't feel
accepted.”
“Giving more importance to the
adjective [gay] rather than the noun [man], this is not good,” the
pontiff replied. “We are all human beings and have dignity. It does
not matter who you are, or how you live your life – you do not lose
your dignity.”
“There are people that prefer to
select or discard people because of the adjective. These people don’t
have a human heart,” he
added.
Amos praised the pope's response: “In
all fairness he said something that was quite magnificent, because he
is one of the most progressive popes in recent times.”