\u201cHis comments only further reflect his desire to reach out to all Catholics and individuals who are marginalized,\u201d\u009d said [Marcus] Cox, a history professor and associate dean at The Citadel. \u201cHis unassuming leadership style and his message of love and tolerance gives him the ability to connect with individuals seeking a place in the Catholic church.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Francis might have struck a more conciliatory tone for some, but he surely did not suggest that noncelibate gays and lesbians should escape the church\u2019s judgment, said Warren Redman-Gress, executive director of Alliance for Full Acceptance, a Charleston-based gay-rights advocacy group.<\/p>\n
\u201cPope Francis\u2019 recent \u201d\u02dcWho am I to judge?\u2019 remark regarding gay clergy has been called an \u201d\u02dcoutstretched hand\u2019 and a shift toward greater understanding,\u201d\u009d wrote Redman-Gress in an email. \u201cI don\u2019t believe it is either. When a person, even a pope, uses the \u201d\u02dcwho am I to judge?\u2019 phrase, he is saying, \u201d\u02dcI won\u2019t judge because I am a sinner as well; I am going to leave the judgment of that person\u2019s sexual orientation to God.\u2019 \u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
But this implies that a sexually active gay person nevertheless is subject to God\u2019s reckoning (and, by extention, the church\u2019s), Redman-Gress wrote.<\/p>\n