Francis made headlines around the world last week (Picture: AP)

Pope Francis has moved to clarify comments about homosexuality in a recent interview after he was reported to have labelled it a sin.

Francis made headlines around the world last week when he told the Associated Press that laws criminalising homosexuality were ‘unjust’.

The Argentine pontiff said ‘it’s not a crime’, before playing devil’s advocate by imagining someone raising official church teaching to point out: ‘Yes, but it’s a sin.’

His pretend conversation goes on: ‘Fine, but first, let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime. It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.’

Now, in a note to James Martin SJ, whose Outreach ministry for LGBTQ Catholics he has praised, the Pope reaffirmed that homosexuality ‘is not a crime’ and said he spoke out ‘in order to stress that criminalisation is neither good nor just’.

‘When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin,’ Francis wrote in Spanish, underlining the final phrase.

But in a nod to his case-by-case approach to pastoral ministry, he noted that even that teaching is subject to consideration of the circumstances, ‘which may decrease or eliminate fault’.

Pope Francis speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at The Vatican (Picture: AP)

Francis acknowledged he could have been clearer in his comments to the AP.

But he said he was using ‘natural and conversational language’ in the interview that didn’t call for precise definitions.

‘As you can see, I was repeating something in general,’ he wrote. ‘I should have said: “It is a sin, as is any sexual act outside of marriage”.

‘This is to speak of “the matter” of sin, but we know well that Catholic morality not only takes into consideration the matter, but also evaluates freedom and intention; and this, for every kind of sin.’

Some 67 countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or do impose the death penalty, according to The Human Dignity Trust, which works to end such laws.

Experts say even where the laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatization and violence against LGBTQ people.

Catholic teaching forbids gay marriage, holding that the sacrament of marriage is a lifelong bond between a man and a woman.

It reserves intercourse for married couples while forbidding artificial contraception.

In his decade-long pontificate, Francis has upheld that teaching but has made outreach to LGBTQ people a priority.

He has stressed a more merciful approach to applying church doctrine, to accompany people rather than judge them.

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Francis acknowledged he could have been clearer in his comments.