Copyright © 2024 by Michael Lofton
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Published by Reason & Theology Publishing
Printed in the United States of America
Cover by Michael Lofton
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CONTENTS
Introduction (p. 4)
Pope Francis Says Homosexuality is Not a Sin (p. 5)
Pope Francis Said Don’t Proselytize! (p. 7)
Pope Francis Said Hell Isn’t Real (p. 8)
Pope Francis Worshipped a Pachamama Idol (p. 10)
Pope Francis Teaches God Wills the Diversity of Religions (p. 11)
Pope Francis’ Affirms Communion for Adulterers (p. 13)
Pope Francis Teaches the Death Penalty is Intrinsically Evil (p. 14)
Pope Francis Allows for Blessing Same-Sex Unions (p. 15)
Pope Francis Participated in a Pagan Canadian Ceremony (p. 16)
Pope Francis Wants Women’s Ordination (p. 17)
About the Author (p. 18)
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Introduction
Nearly ever day a new controversy about Pope Francis erupts on
social media. This has undoubtedly confused many people - Catholics
and non-Catholics alike. In order to help those who wish to know if the
most common headlines they read about Pope Francis are accurate,
I’ve compiled the top ten fictional claims made about Pope Francis
and then offered a brief presentation of the facts, along with additional
resources for a more in-depth consideration.
Michael Lofton
Feast of Theodosius the Cenobiarch 2024
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Pope Francis Says
Homosexuality is Not a
Sin
The Fiction:
One of the first controversies surrounding Pope Francis concerns his
comment “who am I to judge” in relation to homosexual persons. Many
twisted these words to mean that he does believe same-sex acts are
sinful.
The Facts:
Pope Francis actually said: “If a person is gay and seeks God and has
good will, who am I to judge?”
He later explained what he meant by this, saying:
On that occasion I said this: If a person is gay and seeks out the
Lord and is willing, who am I to judge that person? I was
paraphrasing by heart the Catechism of the Catholic Church where
it says that these people should be treated with delicacy and not be
marginalized. I am glad that we are talking about 'homosexual
people' because before all else comes the individual person, in his
wholeness and dignity. And people should not be defined only by
their sexual tendencies: let us not forget that God loves all his
creatures and we are destined to receive his infinite love. I prefer
that homosexuals come to confession, that they stay close to the
Lord, and that we pray all together. You can advise them to pray,
show goodwill, show them the way, and accompany them along it.
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Additional Resources:
See here where Pope Francis confirms that same-sex acts are
sinful.
6
Pope Francis Said Don’t
Proselytize!
The Fiction:
It is often claimed that Pope Francis has forbidden evangelism of non-
Catholics and non-Christians to Catholicism.
The Facts:
Pope Francis explicitly insists that Catholics MUST evangelize people to
the Catholic Church. He opposes proselytism, which he defines as using
coercive means to pressure a person to convert. This is why he says
“evangelism, yes, proselytism, no”
Additional Resources:
• See here for an in-depth video of Pope Francis on evangelism vs.
proselytism.
• See here for what critics of Pope Francis WON’T tell you about
Pope Francis on evangelism.
7
Pope Francis Said Hell
Isn’t Real
The Fiction:
Pope Francis is said to have denied the eternality of hell in an interview
with the Atheist Eugenio Scalfari. He is quoted by Scalfari as saying:
“They are not punished. Those who repent obtain God’s forgiveness and
take their place among the ranks of those who contemplate him, but
those who do not repent and cannot be forgiven disappear. A hell doesn’t
exist, the disappearance of sinning souls exists.”
The Facts:
Scalfari is famous for not taking notes in his interview, so the Vatican
rightly clarified:
The Holy Father Francis recently received the founder of the daily
newspaper La Repubblica in a private meeting for Easter, without
however issuing any interview. The reference made by the author of
today’s article is the fruit of his reconstruction, in which the precise
words pronounced by the Pope are not quoted. Therefore, no
extract from the aforementioned article should be considered as a
faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.
Pope Francis has made several statements affirming the eternality of hell
and the real possibility of going there. He has said:
The danger always remains that by a constant refusal to open the
doors of their hearts to Christ who knocks on them in the poor, the
proud, rich and powerful will end up condemning themselves and
plunging into the eternal abyss of solitude which is hell.
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He has also said: “Convert, there is still time for not ending up in hell. It is
what is waiting for you if you continue on this path.” Thus, it is clear
Scalfari must have misunderstood something the pope said.
Additional Resources:
• See here for a video examining Pope Francis’ view on hell.
9
Pope Francis
Worshipped a
Pachamama Idol
The Fiction:
Pope Francis is often accused of worshiping an idol of the pagan goddess
Pachamama in the Vatican Gardens.
The Facts:
Pope Francis did not worship an idol in the Vatican Gardens ceremony.
Instead, he allowed for a Catholic prayer service in the Vatican Gardens
to take place and this service included an image of Our Lady of the
Amazon (the Virgin Mary). The video of the event explicitly calls the
image “Our Lady of the Amazon.” The ceremony itself had nothing to do
with Pachamama.
Additional Resources:
• See here for an in-depth video explaining the Vatican Gardens
ceremony.
• See here for an in-depth video detailing the unfolding of this
artificial scandal in the media, along with Pope Francis’ comments
about the image.
10
Pope Francis Teaches
God Wills the
Diversity of Religions
The Fiction:
It is often claimed that Pope Francis said that God wills the diversity of
religions. This is then understood to mean that God doesn’t care if a
person is a Christian or not, or that all religious paths lead to the same
eternal outcome. In other words, this is often understood to be an
instance where Pope Francis teaches relativism or universalism.
The Facts:
Pope Francis said:
The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and
language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He
created human beings.
There is a distinction between God’s passive will and his active will. God’s
passive will refers to God’s allowance for something, even if he doesn’t
agree with its morality (e.g. a murderer who murders an innocent person).
God’s active will refers to God’s own actions, which are always morally
good (e.g. God chose to become incarnate 2,000 years ago). Pope
Francis clarified that his statements about God’s will and the diversity of
religions refers to God’s passive will, not his active will. In other words,
God passively allows for the diversity of religions, but it is not something
he personally created.
Additional Resources:
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• See here for the full document where Pope Francis made these
comments.
• See here for an in-depth video explaining what Pope Francis
actually said.
• See here for a video on Pope Francis’ clarification on this
controversy.
12
Pope Francis Affirms
Communion for
Adulterers
The Fiction:
Many people have claimed that Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Apostolic
Exhortation Amoris Laetitia allows people who are living in mortal sin
through adultery to receive Holy Communion without going to confession.
The Facts:
Pope Francis has explicitly said:
We know that one who has committed a serious sin should not
approach Holy Communion without having first obtained absolution
in the sacrament of reconciliation.
Amoris Laetitia itself nowhere allows a person in mortal sin to receive the
Eucharist without confession.
Pope Francis has also said that the Amoris Laetitia confirms that an
adulterer in mortal sin must go to confession first before receiving the
Eucharist.
Additional Resources:
• See here for Pope Francis’ response to Dubia (questions) about
Amoris Laetitia
• See here for an in-depth examination of Amoris Laetitia
13
Pope Francis Teaches the
Death Penalty is
Intrinsically Evil
The Fiction:
It is often claimed that Pope Francis taught that the death penalty is
“intrinsically evil” - meaning the death penalty is always sinful to impose
regardless of the time and circumstances. They then assert that his view
is in conflict with the Old and New Testament that admit the allowance of
the death penalty.
The Facts:
Pope Francis did not say the death penalty is “intrinsically evil” but that it
is “inadmissible” and the context was in reference to our contemporary
society, not for all times and circumstances. In other words, he did not
change the doctrine of the church on the death penalty but implemented a
particular discipline.
Additional Resources:
• See here and here for two videos on whether Pope Francis
changed the teaching of the Church on the death penalty.
• See here for a take on capital punishment and the Catholic
Magisterium.
• See here for historical precedence for Pope Francis’ discipline on
the death penalty.
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Pope Francis Allows for
Blessing Same-Sex
Unions
The Fiction:
Pope Francis is said to have approved the blessing of same-sex
unions/relationships in the 2023 document Fiducia Supplicans.
The Facts:
Pope Francis has explicitly rejected blessing same-sex “unions” both in
2021 and in 2023.
Pope Francis’s 2023 document Fiducia Supplicans allows for the blessing
of same-sex persons but not their relationship. By blessing, Francis does
not mean approval but a supplication to receive grace to live a holier life
and to conform to God’s commands that requires same-sex attracted
persons to no longer engage in same-sex acts. This is why a clarifying
document from the Vatican confirmed that same-sex couples (two
persons in a disordered relationship) can be blessed (not approval but a
supplication), but their union/relationship cannot be blessed because it is
sinful.
Additional Resources:
• See here for an in-depth video presentation on the 2023
document Fiducia Supplicans.
• See here for a video examination of the clarifying document by the
Vatican.
15
Pope Francis Participated
in a Pagan Canadian
Ceremony
The Fiction:
Pope Francis is said to have participated in a pagan ceremony in his
2022 Canada visit.
The Facts:
Pope Francis was invited by a governmental official to a meeting during
his visit to Canada in 2022. He had no control over the agenda of the
event and was not told in advance in any detail what would take place. He
did not participate in any pagan ceremonies.
Additional Resources:
• See here for a detailed video analysis of the meeting.
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Pope Francis Wants
Women’s Ordination
The Fiction:
Pope Francis is often said to be willing to allow for women’s ordination.
The Facts:
Pope Francis had put into canon law an automatic excommunication for
anyone attempting to ordain a woman. Canon 1379 § 3 states: “Both a
person who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the
woman who attempts to receive the sacred order, incur a latae sententiae
[automatic] excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See; a cleric,
moreover, may be punished by dismissal from the clerical state.”
Pope Francis has repeatedly reiterated that the church’s position on
ordination reserved to males alone cannot be changed.
Pope Francis has also confirmed that the teaching on a male only
priesthood is “definitive” in nature.
Additional Resources:
• See here for a video of Pope Francis’ view on women’s ordination.
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About the Author
Michael is a graduate of Christendom
College Graduate School of Theology
where he received his Master of Arts in
Theological Studies (Cum Laude) in
2018. He is currently working on a
doctorate in Theology with Pontifex
University and is writing a dissertation
on the Magisterium of the Catholic
Church. Michael is the founder of the
Reason & Theology show, where he
has interviewed many of the leading
figures in contemporary theology. He has worked with Catholic Answers
as a contributor and also appeared on EWTN, SiriusXM Radio, Radio
Maria. He is also the author of Answering Orthodoxy and Church Chaos.
Are you tired of all the confusion in the
Catholic Church?
Reason & Theology offers you an in-depth
examination of the situation in the Catholic
Church that will help make sense of
the confusion.
• www.patreon.com/reasonandtheology
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• www.reasonandtheology.com
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