In a wide-ranging papal press conference on his flight from Lisbon to Rome:
when asked why he did not recite a public prayer for peace at Fátima, the Pope responded that he prayed privately there for peace
when asked about clerical sexual abuse in Portugal, the Pope lamented abuse inside and outside the Church, expressed confidence in the Portuguese bishops’ response, and decried female genital mutilation, which he described in graphic terms
when asked why he shortened his prepared addresses in Portugal, the Pope cited the response of his audiences and the limited attention span of young people, which he estimated at eight minutes
when asked about his upcoming visit to Marseille, the Pope said he was addressing the issue of migrants at a meeting on the Mediterranean, and not visiting France per se because he is visiting smaller European countries first
when asked about World Youth Day, the Pope said it was the best organized of the four he had attended and said that young people “are religious, they are looking for a non-hostile, non-artificial, non-legalistic faith, an encounter with Jesus Christ, and this is not easy”
When asked by a German reporter why “women, homosexuals cannot receive all the sacraments,” the Pope responded that “the Church is open for everyone, then there is legislation that regulates life inside the Church. He who is inside follows the legislation.”
“What you say is a simplification: ‘They cannot participate in the sacraments,’” the Pope continued. “This does not mean that the Church is closed. Everyone meets God on their own way inside the Church, and the Church is mother and guides everyone on their own path.”