Pope Francis has issued unusually candid remarks about LGBT people, saying they should not be marginalized in society, but maintaining that homosexual acts are a sin under Catholic teaching. While on a flight back from Brazil, the pope responded to a reporter’s question about a supposed “gay lobby” at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: “Everyone writes about the gay lobby. I still haven’t found anyone who gives me an identity card in the Vatican with 'gay' written on it. They say that there are these people. I think when someone finds themselves with a person like this, they need to make a distinction between being a gay person and that of being part of a lobby. All lobbies are not good, that is the bad thing. If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge him?”

Pope Francis also rejected the idea of ordaining women priests, saying, “This door is closed.” In a statement, the head of the Women’s Ordination Conference responded in part, “Pope Francis could have looked to the majority of Catholics who support the ordination of women … and strongly believe with God a door is always open.”