US president Barack Obama has welcomed Pope Francis’ recent remarks that the
Catholic Church must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion,
contraception and homosexuals, saying the pontiff was showing incredible
humility.
“I tell you, I have been hugely impressed with the pope’s pronouncements,” Mr Obama said in a CNBC interview.
Mr Obama has worked to expand gay rights as president and last year backed same-sex marriage. He also supports the use of contraception and a woman’s right to an abortion.
Pope Francis told the Italian Jesuit Journal last month that the Church had “locked itself up in small things” by its obsession with abortion, contraception and homosexuality.
Mr Obama said the Pope seemed to be someone who “lives out the teachings of Christ” and shows “incredible humility” toward the poor.
He said the Pope was “first and foremost thinking about how to embrace people as opposed to push them away. How to find what’s good in them as opposed to condemn them.”
“That sense of love and unity seems to manifest itself in not just what he says but also what he does.”
“That’s a quality I admire,” said Mr Obama, who has yet to meet the new pope.
Pope Francis succeeded Pope Benedict in March and has been lauded for his non-judgemental approach.
He has said the church needs to find a “new balance”.
