Pope Francis has urged parents not to condemn their gay children, but instead use dialogue to try understanding them.
On the papal place during a flight from Dublin, Ireland, back to Rome, Pope Francis was asked by a reporter what a parent should say to a child who comes out as gay.
"I'll never say that silence is a remedy," Pope Francis said. "To ignore a son or daughter with homosexual tendencies is a lack of paternity and maternity.
"You are my son, you are my daughter as you are! I'm your father, mother. Let's talk."
The 81-year-old - who is the 266th Pope in history - said there have always been gay people and people with "homosexual tendencies".
He asked mothers and fathers not to condemn their offspring, adding that conversation, not condemnation, should be encouraged.
"Don't condemn. Dialogue. Understand, give the child space so he or she can express themselves," he told reporters.
"This child has the right to a family, and the family not throwing him out."
The Pope said every child has the right to a family and the safety that should include.
Newshub.
