Pope says gay acts are a sin, but not a crime.

Pope Francis condemned “unjust” legislation criminalizing same-sex relationships around the world, saying “being homosexual is not a crime” in an interview published Wednesday. He said the church must work to end such laws, while Catholic bishops who support them “have to have a process of conversion.” Instead, the clergy should offer “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us,” the pontiff told the Associated Press.

“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity,” he said. What Pope Francis has said about same-sex marriage and civil unions in the past At least 67 countries, the majority in Africa or the Middle East, have national laws against same-sex relations, while at least nine others have laws criminalizing gender expression that target transgender or other people, according to Human Rights Watch. The pope is set to visit South Sudan — one of the countries that criminalize homosexuality — from Feb. 3 to 5.

In the United States, meanwhile, more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws, the AP reports, even though the Supreme Court determined them to be unconstitutional in 2003. Although Francis criticized the criminalization of homosexuality, he made it clear that he believes gay acts are a sin. “Let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” the pope said.

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