Pope Francis is preparing to offend conservative American Christians by publishing an explosive interview in which he criticizes their “suicidal attitude.”
The pontiff’s 60 Minutes episode will air on Sunday and could strain his already poor relations with the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.
His meeting with Norah O’Donnell was recorded on April 24.
Francis was asked for his opinion on the backlash against his papacy from conservatives, including members of the American clergy.
Pope Francis in explosive interview says conservative Catholics in the United States have a “suicidal attitude”
He responded by saying that a conservative is someone who “holds on to something and doesn’t want to see beyond it.”
“It’s suicidal,” he says, according to an excerpt from the CBS transcript.
“It is one thing to take tradition into account, to consider situations from the past, but it is quite another to be locked in a dogmatic box.”
Francis has clashed with Christian conservatives almost since he was elected head of the church in 2013.
In December, he controversially approved allowing Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.
That radical policy change was aimed at making the church more inclusive while maintaining the ban on gay marriage.
In the interview, Francis defends the measure, saying that the blessing was for the people, not for “the union” itself.
‘Some people were shocked by this. But why?’ he asks.
He added that homosexuality was not a crime but a “human fact.”
Some of the pope’s progressive policies have strained his ties with Catholic leaders in the United States.
Conservative American Cardinal Raymond Burke was stripped of some Vatican privileges last year.
Conservatives have opposed making the church more welcoming to LGBT people and giving laypeople greater roles in the institution.
Still, some of the pope’s measures are closer to conservative views.
A Vatican document approved by Francis last month said gender fluidity, sex change procedures and surrogacy were affronts to human dignity.
The pope’s progressive approach has brought him into clashes with prominent American Catholics.
Last year, Francis fired conservative Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, who was a withering critic of his papacy.
It is very rare for a bishop to be relieved of his duties entirely; They are usually allowed to resign without problems.
The Pope at the time said that the conservative wing of the American Church was “reactionary.”
He also stripped conservative American Cardinal Raymond Burke of some Vatican privileges, including a large subsidized apartment and his salary.