Aboard the papal aircraft Monday, Pope Francis made an unprecedented statement regarding gay clergy. He won’t judge priests for the sexual orientation.

"If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" Francis asked, according to the Washington Post.

This comes after his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, said gay men should not be priests.

From WaPo:

Francis was responding to reports that a trusted aide was involved in an alleged gay tryst a decade ago. He said he investigated the allegations according to canon law and found nothing to back them up. But he took journalists to task for reporting on the matter, saying the allegations concerned matters of sin, not crimes like sexually abusing children.

And when someone sins and confesses, he said, God not only forgives but forgets.

"We don’t have the right to not forget," he said.

This comes from a Pope who has drawn a lot of criticism for his views on gay marriage and adoption by gay couples.