Pope Francis Backpedals on Recommendation of Psychiatric Treatment for Gay Children

Pope Francis in Ireland.

With the Roman Catholic Church on the defensive on multiple fronts in the wake of (i) Pope Francis' less than successful visit to Ireland where he was dressed down by that nation's prime minister, (ii) continued reverberations from the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report - some have called for a federal grand jury to investigate the Church nationwide - and (iii) growing credible accusations that the Vatican covered up Cardinal Theodore McCarrick's sexual molestation, the Vatican/Pope Francis is seemingly trying to quell a new firestorm by attempting to walking back Francis' recommendation that parents of gay children seek psychiatric cures for their children. Agence France-Presse has coverage.  Here are highlights:

The Vatican on Monday rolled back on Pope Francis's recommendation that parents seek psychiatric help for children who show homosexual tendencies.

The Pope made the comments to journalists as he was flying back to Rome from Ireland, but the Vatican later removed his phrase from its official account, saying he had not meant to suggest that homosexuality was a mental illness.

Francis was asked by a journalist what he would say to parents who observe homosexual traits in their children.  "I would say first of all pray, not to condemn, to dialogue, to understand, to give space to the son or the daughter," he responded, before adding that parents must also consider the age of the child.

"When it [homosexuality] shows itself from childhood, there is a lot that can be done through psychiatry, to see how things are. It is something else if it shows itself after 20 years," he said.

The Pope added that ignoring a child who showed homosexual tendencies was an "error of fatherhood or motherhood".

When asked why, a Vatican spokeswoman told AFP it had been done in order to not "change the thoughts of the Holy Father".  "When the Pope referred to 'psychiatry', it is clear that he was doing it to highlight an example of 'things that can be done'. But with that word he didn't mean to say that it (homosexuality) was a 'mental illness'," she said.

Francis's trip to Ireland was fraught with controversy amid accusations that he ignored sexual abuse allegations against prominent US cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Ahead of his visit, delegates at a Catholic conference in Dublin heard a plea from a US priest for the Church to welcome gay members, whom he said had been made to feel like lepers.

Having been raised Catholic, I can assure you that the message the Vatican and hierarchy clearly and consistently sends is that being gay is pretty much the worse possible thing one can be.  Calling homosexuality a "mental illness" would almost be kind in comparison to being taught that one is an abomination hated by God.  The Church's treatment of gays is nothing less than soul killing - just in a different form than sexual abuse by priests. 

In Ireland only a quarter of the size crowds hoped for showed up.  The Church's credibility is in tatters.