ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRCRAFT — Pope Francis is reaching out to gays, saying he won't judge priests for their sexual orientation, but closed the door on woman priests, in remarkably open and wide-ranging news conferences as he returned from his first foreign trip.
"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" Francis told Associated Press reporters Monday during his journey back to the Vatican from his first foreign trip in Brazil
Gay Athletes Could Be Prosecuted at 2014 Winter Olympics, Russian Lawmaker Suggests
MOSCOW July 31, 2013
In Russia it is now illegal to even speak about homosexuality around minors, much less openly display gay pride. Technically the ban is against "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" around minors, but the implication for openly gay individuals is clear. Public displays of affection by gays, including holding hands or displaying symbols like a rainbow flag, are now banned. Violators face steep fines and jail time; foreigners face similar penalties plus deportation.
So what will happen to openly gay athletes and fans, as well as any vocal supporters or protestors, when Russia hosts the Winter Olympics next year in Sochi?
This week, comments by a lawmaker from St. Petersburg set off a firestorm online when he said that fans and athletes would not be immune from prosecution during the games.
Unknown anti-gay demonstrator hits Russia's gay and LGBT rights activist Nikolai Alexeyev (centre) during a gay rights activists rally in cental Moscow on 25 May, 2013. Photograph: Andrey Svitailo/AFP/Getty Images
ABOARD THE PAPAL AIRCRAFT — Pope Francis is reaching out to gays, saying he won't judge priests for their sexual orientation, but closed the door on woman priests, in remarkably open and wide-ranging news conferences as he returned from his first foreign trip.