Pope Francis has hailed sex as a "beautiful thing" and stated that meeting partners on dating apps is "normal" in a new documentary.
In a new Disney+ documentary titled The Pope: Answers, the 86-year-old head of the worldwide Catholic Church spoke out on topics that are usually left alone by His Holiness.
In the flick - which was filmed in June 2022 - the Pope shared his opinions on subjects such as sex, masturbation, racism, migration, abortion, and the LGBTQ+ community.
"Sex is one of the beautiful things that God has given to the human person," he said during an "open dialogue" with 10 young adults in Rome, according to NBC News.
Watch The Pope: Answers trailer below:The Spanish-speaking group, whose ages ranged from 20 to 25, included Catholics, Christians, atheists, agnostics, and one Muslim.
When Alejandra - an adult star who shares content on live-streaming sites - questioned him about his views on pornography and masturbation, the pontiff said that it "diminishes".
"Those who are addicted to pornography are like being addicted to a drug that keeps them at a level that does not let them grow," he said, per The Independent. "To express oneself sexually is something rich.
"Anything that diminishes a true sexual expression diminishes you as well, it renders you partial, and it diminishes that richness. Sex has a dynamic of its own. It exists for a reason. It’s an expression of love," he added.
While the Pope revealed that he didn't own a phone, his thoughts on young people meeting on dating apps such as Tinder were pretty surprising.
"It’s normal," he said of meeting romantic partners on social media. "Young people have that eagerness to meet each other, and that’s very good."
The outlet also shared that a woman named Celia - who identified as non-binary - asked the pontiff whether members of the LGBTQ+ and nonbinary individuals were welcomed at church.
"Every person is a child of God, every person," he responded. "God does not reject anyone, God is Father. And I have no right to expel anyone from the Church. Not only that, my duty is always to welcome. The Church cannot close the door to anyone. To no one."
Pope Francis has long been celebrated for his more progressive views on the LGBTQ+ community compared to some of his predecessors.
In 2020, he became the first pontiff to approve same-sex civil unions, declaring in the documentary Francesco: "Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God," as cited by AP.
"You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered," he added.
In addition to this, he reaffirmed those beliefs during an interview earlier this year where he stated: "Being homosexual is not a crime. It's a human condition. We are all children of God and God loves us as we are," per CBS News.
