Pope: Church shouldn’t be obsessed with abortion and gay marriage

Pope Francis says the Catholic Church should not allow its bans on gay marriage, abortion, and contraception to dominate its teachings, but must be a more welcoming Church where priests are understanding pastors, not cold, dogmatic bureaucrats.

In a blunt interview with Civilta Cattolica, the Italian Jesuit monthly, Francis did not hold out the prospect of changes to such moral teachings coming soon but tried to shift the Church’s tone from condemnation to mercy.

In the 12,000-word article, Francis said the Church had “locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules”.