Pope Francis responded to critics of his declaration allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples, repeating his decision in an interview with Italian talk show host Fabio Fazio.
Francis joined Fazio on Sunday’s installment of the Che Tempo Che Fa television show to discuss the “resistance” to his controversial Dec. 18 decision in “Fiducia Supplicans.”
“Sometimes decisions are not accepted,” Francis told Fazio. “But in most cases, when you don’t accept a decision, it’s because you don’t understand.”
A number of bishops from around the world have either voiced opposition to the pope’s declaration or have outright refused to implement it. Africa’s bishops are engaging in a united continental refusal of the policy, while in Poland, Central Asia, and other parts of the globe, there are smaller collective boycotts of the policy.
“The Lord blesses everyone,” Francis told Fazio, and the pope warned of the danger in not having “brotherly discussion” among the church and instead racing to assume “ugly conclusions.”
Similar statements and decisions from the pope have faced pushback from the Catholic community, as the Argentinian pontiff has been criticized for being too liberal in his politics and too ecumenical in his policies.
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Francis once controversially remarked, “Who am I to judge?”, in reference to homosexuality, and he has also implied that atheists can achieve salvation.
As the pope continues to face objections over the decree, he told Fazio that “solitude is a price you have to pay” in making such decisions.