VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Conservative opposition to this pontificate by bishops in the United States is “a suicidal attitude” that clings to the past and neglects reality, Pope Francis said in an interview with “60 Minutes” that aired on Sunday (May 19).
Responding in Spanish to questions from CBS news anchor Norah O’Donnell, the pope addressed issues ranging from the war in Gaza and in Ukraine, confusion over the blessing of same-sex couples, and surrogacy. Francis also answered questions about the Catholic Church in the United States and anti-migration policies in the country.
“(A) conservative is one who clings to something and does not want to see beyond that,” the pope said. “Because one thing is to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but quite another is to be closed up inside a dogmatic box,” he added.
O’Donnell asked the pope about attempts by the Texas government to shut down Annunciation House, a Catholic charity dedicated to helping undocumented migrants coming through Mexico.
“That is madness. Sheer madness,” Francis said, adding that “the migrant has to be received. Then you see how you are going to deal with him. Maybe you have to send him back, I don’t know, but each case ought to be considered humanely.”
Pope Francis being interviewed by CBS’ Norah O’Donnell on “60 Minutes.” (Photo by Adam Verdugo/CBS News/60 Minutes)
Criticism of restrictive border policies has been a recurring theme of Francis’ pontificate, including those of the United States. In 2017, in a barely veiled reference to President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the Mexican border, Francis said that Christians are called to “build bridges, not walls.”
Answering a question about surrogacy, which O’Donnell called “the only hope” for some women wishing to have a family, Francis said, “Sometimes surrogacy has become a business, and that is very bad,” adding that adoption can provide an alternative for those seeking to start a family.
“I would say that in each case the situation should be carefully and clearly considered, consulting medically and then morally as well,” the pope said, while stressing that the “moral principle” remains the same.
In April the Vatican condemned the practice in a document on human dignity, and the pope has called for a global ban on surrogacy.
The pope’s criticism of surrogacy and gender theory have led to some backlash from LGBTQ+ faithful. While the pope has offered unprecedented openings to members of the LGBTQ+ Catholic community, his statements about issues that impact the community have been more ambiguous, at times elevating their concerns and at times seeming to dismiss them.
A landmark 2023 document by the Vatican’s Doctrinal office allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, not as “a legitimation of their own status” but to ask “that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.” But later clarifications seemed to step back from the decision.
Pope Francis being interviewed by CBS’ Norah O’Donnell on “60 Minutes.” (Photo by Adam Verdugo/CBS News/60 Minutes)
Francis said in the interview on Sunday that he “cannot” bless a same-sex union. “What I allowed was not to bless the union. That cannot be done because that is not the sacrament,” he said, “but to bless each person, yes. The blessing is for everyone. For everyone.”
While blessing a same-sex union goes against church law and God’s design, he said, there is no problem with blessing a gay individual.
In the interview, Francis also addressed the ongoing wars in the world, in particular in Ukraine and in Gaza. The pope condemned antisemitism as a harmful ideology. “You can criticize one government or another, the government of Israel, the Palestinian government,” he said, but never a people.
