Pope pays tribute to Catholic priests and nuns who have cared for HIV victims

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ROME (AP) – Pope Francis paid tribute to Catholic priests, nuns and lay people who helped care for people living with HIV and AIDS at the start of the epidemic in the United States “at the risk of their profession and their reputation “.

Francis offered the words of praise in a letter to Michael O’Loughlin, national correspondent for Jesuit magazine America, who wrote the book “Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in Face of Fear”, month.

“Instead of indifference, alienation and even condemnation, these people allowed themselves to be moved by the mercy of the Father and let it become the work of their own lives; a discreet, silent and hidden mercy, but always capable of sustaining and restoring the life and history of each of us ”, wrote François.

O’Loughlin provided the text of Francis’ August 17 letter in an essay published Monday in The New York Times, recounting his experience as a gay Catholic reporting on the project and the 1980s tensions between the Catholic hierarchy, the gay community and AIDS. activists to deal with the epidemic.

In the letter, Francis thanked O’Loughlin “for bringing lives to light and witnessing to the many priests, nuns and laity, who have chosen to accompany, support and help their sick brothers and sisters. HIV and AIDS. at the great risk of their profession and their reputation.


Francis’ letter was greeted by Reverend James Martin, a Jesuit and American editor, who pleaded for the Catholic Church to build bridges with the LGBT community. In an email, Martin said Francis’s letter “is another important step in the Pope’s continued outreach to LGBTQ people.”

The Vatican maintains that homosexuals should be treated with dignity and respect, but that homosexual sex is “inherently messy.”

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