Recently, Pope Francis met with LGBTQ children and children with autism. While talking to both the groups, he offered them words of encouragement and acceptance within the Catholic Church.
He told the groups that God accepts them just the way they are. This has brought in a lot of appreciation for the Pope from people all over.
According to the?Associated Press, he told children with the Austrian group Sonnenschein at the Vatican, ¡°God created the world with a great variety of flowers of all different colors.?Each flower has its unique beauty. And each one of us is beautiful in the eyes of God, who loves us.¡±
Sonnenschein is a clinic where children with autism can undergo therapy. It means 'Sunshine', reported Vatican News.
He offered the same words to a group of LGBTQ children and their parents when he met them. He has been known to take this stance ever since he assumed his position in 2013.?
According to?Jesuit weekly?America?magazine. he told the group, ¡°God loves your children as they are.?The church loves your children as they are because they are children of God".
The group is part of an?Italian LGBTQ Christian association called Tenda di Gionata.
The group's vice president, Mara Grassi said she gave Pope Francis a book that consisted of the difficult life experiences of parents of LGBTQ children and the ordeal they face within the church. She added that she hoped that a "bridge" will be created for them to feel fully welcomed.
The pope said,?¡°The church does not exclude them because she loves them deeply". He was also reportedly given a rainbow T-shirt that read: 'In love there is no fear.'
His comments were praised on social media by many who appreciated his willingness to speak on such topics.
Back in 2013, Pope Francis had said that sexual orientation was irrelevant when it came to being a good Catholic. His words were,?¡°If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge??The problem is not having this orientation. We must be brothers.¡±