Respect 'natural difference' between men and women, says Pope Francis

September 25, 2015 10:54pm

Pope Francis called Friday to respect the "natural difference" between men and women, as he warned against the imposition of "alien" lifestyles.

Francis, who has been seen as less hostile to gays than his predecessors, indicated in an address to the United Nations that he does not embrace transgender rights.

"We recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions," Francis said.

Francis, who was selected as pope in 2013, has won an unusually avid following even among non-Catholics for his embrace of causes such as climate change and shift away from a rigid focus on social issues.

In one remark that shaped opinions early in his papacy, Francis said of gay priests, "Who am I to judge?"

But at the United Nations, he signaled that the Church was not ready to champion transgender rights, an issue that has drawn growing attention in the United States as gay equality becomes mainstream.

"The defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions," Francis said.

In a possible allusion to same-sex marriage, Francis warned against an "ideological colonization by the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles which are alien to people's identity and, in the end, irresponsible."

But he backed the rights of girls, throwing his considerable weight behind a UN goal of a right to education for all children -- regardless of gender. —Agence France-Presse

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