Pope Francis Reportedly 'Shocked' by Gay Adoption Proposal

Pope Francis, The Advocate's "Person of the Year"

On the heels of a leading gay magazine naming Pope Francis its Person of the Year, the pontiff is reportedly "shocked" over a proposal to legalize adoption for same-sex couples in Malta.

Bishop Charles Scicluna of Malta condemned adoption by same-sex couples in his Christmas sermon, according to the Telegraph.

Thing is, Scicluna met Pope Francis on December 12 and told the Times of Malta: “We discussed many aspects… and when I raised the issue that’s worrying me as a bishop [the right for gay couples to adopt] he encouraged me to speak out."

The Times of Malta said the Pope was "shocked" over the legislation; the Telegraph indicated that Bishop Scicluna's sermon seemed delivered at Pope Francis' prompting.

TheBlaze has reported extensively on Pope Francis' views, particularly regarding gay marriage and other hot-button issues. In July he said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Pope Francis waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. (Image source: AP/Alessandra Tarantino)

In a later extensive interview with an Italian Jesuit magazine, the Pope said: “A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’

The key, he said, is for the church to welcome, not exclude and show mercy, not condemnation.

“This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all, not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people. We must not reduce the bosom of the universal church to a nest protecting our mediocrity,” he said.

(H/T: The Huffington Post)

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