Page 11 - Push Back

When his co-host said the viewer doesn't know the intentions or medical history of his
co-workers, Robertson rebutted, "It's not for you to decide or to judge."
[Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/29/pat-robertson-transgender_n_3672244.html]

I want to draw your attention to the last words above. Pat Robertson stated, “It’s not for you to
decide or judge.” This forms a direct parallel to statements made by the Pope which are cited in
another article found on the Wall Street Journal website.

Pope Francis

Pope Signals Openness to Gay Priests
Pontiff's Comments Suggest Greater Acceptance of Homosexuality Among Clerics

The pontiff was traveling aboard a turbulent overnight flight to Rome from his first overseas
trip... when he broached the delicate issue of how the Catholic hierarchy should respond to
clerics who are gay, though not sexually active. In doing so, he departed from the posture that
has long shaped papal thinking on gay priests.

Pope Francis, left, and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone step off a plane at Ciampino Airport outside
Rome after returning from their trip to Brazil Monday.

"Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?" the pontiff told a news
conference in response to a question. "You can't marginalize these people."

Pope Francis opened the door Sunday to greater acceptance of gay priests inside the ranks of
Roman Catholicism as he flew home to the Vatican from his maiden trip overseas.

Pope Francis reaffirmed church teaching by referring to homosexual acts as a sin. But he
wielded his formidable bully pulpit to shift the tone of how the church regards homosexual
orientation at its highest ranks...

Pope Francis "is showing a deep respect for the human condition as it is, instead of approaching
things in a doctrinal way," said Alberto Melloni, a church historian.