The Vatican "firmly denied" a French Catholic man's claim that Pope Francis called him to say his homosexuality "doesn't matter." According to Christophe Trutino, Francis rang him up after receiving the teen's letter about struggling with his gay desires.
Though 25-year-old Frenchman Trutino says he didn't believe it was the Pope at first, he claims he was convinced enough to listen closely to what the man said in Spanish. "I received the letter that you sent me. You need to remain courageous and continue to believe and pray and stay good," the man on the other end of the line allegedly said during their nine-minute conversation. "Your homosexuality. It doesn't matter. One way or another , we are all children of God. This is why we must continue to be good,"
The Vatican insists this was either someone playing a trick on Trutino or Trutino playing a trick on us. "The only time the Pope has called France was to speak to Cardinal Barbarin. I absolutely deny this information," said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi. "There is always the risk that people pretend to be the pope over the phone."
That's definitely a distinct possibility, but leaves one wondering whether the Pope would call a gay kid struggling with his or her homosexuality. Francis made headlines for telling reporters that he wouldn't judge a gay priest, and, one assumes, gay laymen. Said the Catholic leader, "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" Was Pope Francis just blowing white smoke or is that something he truly believes? Would he call a man or woman trying to reconcile their innate sexuality with their external faith?
