Pope Francis during an interview with an Associated Press Agency journalist in the Vatican, Jan. 24, 2023. DOMENICO STINELLIS/AP
In an interview with the Associated Press (AP) aired on Wednesday, January 25, Pope Francis considered the laws criminalizing homosexuality, sexual orientation, which in his eyes remains a “sin”, to be ” unfair”. He called on priests who support such laws to welcome gay people into their churches, while considering their views as culturally grounded, and called for a “process of conversion” so that these priests accord equal dignity to each and every one.
“Homosexuality is not a crime,” said Pope Francis, who believes the Church must be involved in repealing such regulations. He quoted the catechism of his church, according to which homosexual people are welcome there and should not be excluded.
With AP, the Pope claimed that homosexuality remains a “sin” in his eyes, as does “not having charity toward anyone.” According to Catholic teaching, homosexuals should be treated with respect, but this orientation remains “actually disordered”.
“Who am I to judge? »
Francis did not reform this approach while making the hand outstretched to the homosexual community a hallmark of his pontificate. In 2019, activists expected the pope to make a statement against criminalizing homosexuality at a meeting with human rights defenders specializing in these laws and “conversion therapies.” In fact, they only spoke to Vatican number two, Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who affirmed “the dignity of every human being” and spoke out “against any form of violence.”
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When asked about a known homosexual priest in 2013, the pope asked: “Who am I to judge? As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he had promoted legal protections for same-sex couples as an alternative to same-sex marriage, which was doctrinally forbidden. On the other hand, he had been criticized by the LGBT community for a 2021 decree whose terms prevented the church from blessing a homosexual union.
The Vatican refrained from signing a UN declaration decriminalizing homosexuality in 2018 because the text went beyond its original scope and mentioned “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” terms it found problematic. At the time, the Vatican urged nations to avoid “unjust discrimination” against gay people.
“don’t say gay”
According to the AP, citing the NGO Human Dignity Trust, 67 countries criminalize homosexuality, eleven of which have the death penalty. Laws criminalizing homosexuality are widespread in Africa and the Middle East, deriving from the British Empire or inspired by Islamic law.
In the United States, a dozen states have bestiality laws, although a 2003 Supreme Court ruling ruled them unconstitutional. Gay rights activists are decrying both old and new laws, such as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans teaching about gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity through third grade elementary school—the equivalent of CE2. The United Nations has long called for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality.