The Daily Beast

by Barbie Latza Nadeau Jul 29, 2013

The pope’s comment that he wouldn’t ‘judge’ gay priests seemed to augur a new era of inclusiveness from the church. But it may have been just the same old doctrine with a softer tone. By Barbie Latza

Just when you thought Pope Francis didn’t have any more surprises up his sleeve, there he goes again. On the papal flight back to Rome after a raucous reception for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Francis gave an 80-minute Q&A session to journalists in which he seemed to soften the church’s stance on homosexuality in the priesthood. While stopping short of endorsing gay marriage, he did say something a pope has never said before. “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” he asked. By any previous standard…