Pope: gender is not a choice Frances D’Emillio, AP/Washington Post Thursday, August 4, 2016 In a recent Vatican meeting, Pope Francis Pope Francis lamented that children are being taught in school that gender can be a choice, adding that his predecessor, Benedict XVI has labeled current times “the epoch of sin against God the Creator.” © 2023 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: [email protected] The Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.