[Breitbart] It is a mistake to downplay the seriousness of homosexuality, Pope Francis said in an upcoming book, insisting that homosexuals have no place in the priesthood.In the book, the pope recounts an interview he had with missionary Fernando Prado, who asked him whether homosexuality was a problem, suggesting that it is not a big deal for priests to be homosexual since it is "just an expression of an affection."
"That’s a mistake," Francis replied. "It’s not just an expression of an affection. In consecrated and priestly life, there’s no room for that kind of affection."
The pontiff reiterated Church teaching "that people with that kind of ingrained tendency should not be accepted into the ministry or consecrated life. The ministry or the consecrated life is not his place."
The pope’s words were his strongest to date on the problem with homosexuality in the priesthood and follows on serious allegations that the Church’s problems with sexual abuse are rooted in the presence of a "homosexual network" among clergy and bishops.
In a bombshell report last August, former papal nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò tied the abuse crisis in the Church as well as cover-ups by bishops to an extensive "homosexual network" in the Church.