Like Benedict, Pope Francis doesn’t want Church of ‘moralists’

While Pope Francis’ mention of the Church’s priorities in a recent interview grabbed worldwide attention, few remember that Benedict XVI said substantially the same thing seven years ago.

Pope Francis’ interview with La Civilt- Cattolica published Sept. 19 led to headlines such as CNN’s “Pope Francis says religion does not have the right to interfere spiritually in the lives of gays and lesbians” and the New York Times’ “Pope Bluntly Faults Church’s Focus on Gays and Abortion.”

Among other things, the Roman Pontiff had said that the Church “cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods … when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context.”