Pope Francis' reported comments to a gay man that "God made you like this" have been embraced by the LGBT community as another sign of Francis' desire to make gay people feel welcomed and loved in the Catholic Church. The pope invited Cruz and other victims of a Chilean predator priest to discuss their cases last month. The Vatican declined to confirm or deny the remarks in keeping with its policy not to comment on the pope's private conversations. He also has spoken of his own ministry to gay and transgender people, insisting they are children of God, loved by God and deserving of accompaniment by the church. Whether or not the pope intended to break ground, there was a time when the Catholic Church taught that sexual orientation was not something people choose.

Source: ABC News May 21, 2018 12:33 UTC