VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis criticised laws that criminalise homosexuality as “unjust” and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people into the Church, saying that God loves all his children just as they are.
“Being homosexual isn’t a crime,” Francis said during an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday (Jan 24).
Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in some parts of the world support laws that criminalise homosexuality or discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and he himself referred to the issue in terms of “sin”.
But he attributed such attitudes to cultural backgrounds, and said that bishops in particular need to undergo a process of change to recognise the dignity of everyone.
“These bishops have to have a process of conversion,” he said, adding that they should apply “tenderness, please, as God has for each one of us”.
Sixty-seven countries or jurisdictions worldwide criminalise 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 that even where the laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigmatisation and violence against LGBTQ people.
In the United States, more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws on the books, despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring them unconstitutional.
Gay rights advocates say that the antiquated laws are used to harass homosexuals, and point to new legislation, such as the “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as evidence of continued efforts to marginalise LGBTQ people.
The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to laws criminalising homosexuality outright, saying they violate rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination and are a breach of countries’ obligations under international law to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Declaring such laws “unjust”, Francis said that the Catholic Church can and should work to put an end to them. “It must do this. It must do this,” he said.
Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church in saying that gay people must be welcomed and respected, and should not be marginalised or discriminated against.
“We are all children of God, and God loves us as we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity,” Francis said, speaking to the AP in the Vatican hotel where he lives.
Such laws are common in Africa and the Middle East and date from British colonial times or are inspired by Islamic law.
Some Catholic bishops have strongly upheld them as consistent with Vatican teaching that considers homosexual activity “intrinsically disordered”, while others have called for them to be overturned as a violation of basic human dignity.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/pope-francis-laws-criminalise-homosexuality-are-unjust-3230166
