Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church has said that homosexuality is not a crime but it is a sin.
The Pope was speaking in an interview with the Associated Press (AP) at the Vatican.
He told AP that we are all children of God and God loves us all as we are.
"Being homosexual is not a crime. It's not a crime. Yes, it is a sin," he said.
He said we should make a distinction first between what a sin is and what a crime is.
Across Africa, many countries have laws that have criminalised Homosexuality and same-sex marriages.
In Kenya, the Penal code criminalises same-sex relationships.
"Some middle east countries also have laws criminalising homosexuality.
In the US, some states still have anti-sodomy laws, despite a Supreme court ruling declaring them unconstitutional," AP said.
The Pope told the AP that LGBTQ+ persons should be welcomed into the Catholic church and not be marginalised.
Pope Francis has shown himself as a less conservative leader of the Catholic Church during his tenure.
This is not the first time the Papacy has called for the welcoming of LGBTQ+ persons into the Church.
At the very onset of his Papacy, he called for the same.
