An abuse survivor claims Pope Francis told him God made him gay.
In an interview with Spanish newspaper El País, Chilean Juan Carlos Cruz talked about a conversation he had with the Pope regarding abuse he received from Father Fernando Karadima, one of Chile's most notorious paedophile priests.
He said in that conversation, which took place two weeks ago, the Pope affirmed Mr Cruz's sexual orientation in the eyes of God, the Guardian reported.
"He told me, 'Juan Carlos, that you are gay does not matter. God made you like this and loves you like this and I don't care. The pope loves you like this. You have to be happy with who you are,'" Cruz told El País.
Pope Francis is known for his tolerant and progressive views on homosexuality despite the Catholic church's teaching that any sex outside of heterosexual marriage is a sin.
When asked about an alleged gay lobby within the Vatican in 2013, the Pope responded with "who am I to judge?"
A Vatican spokesperson did not respond to questions regarding the legitimacy of the Pope's alleged comments to Mr Cruz.
Newshub.
