Pope Francis has made headlines twice in as many weeks over his public denouncement of laws that criminalize LGBTQ+ people, including at the end of an apostolic visit to two African nations. But what impact will the pope’s insistence that “being homosexual is not a crime” have in regions with criminalization laws and in the wider church?
Pope Francis has re-affirmed in clear terms his recent denouncement of laws that criminalize being LGBTQ+, joined this time by leaders of two other Christian denominations.
Catholic LGBTQ+ advocates largely have welcomed Pope Francis’ denouncement of laws that criminalize being LGBTQ+. Today’s post features a first set of these reactions.
Statements about gay people appear in two new books, one by Pope Francis and one by Benedict XVI, the deceased pope emeritus, predictably falling along the positive and negative approaches expected of each prelate.
Pope Francis has denounced laws that criminalize LGBTQ+ people, saying “being homosexual is not a crime” and that bishops needed to undergo “a process of conversion” to be more affirming.
A German diocese has released new guidelines on sex education that are remarkably LGBTQ-positive, including an appreciation of diverse sexual identities and an opening blessing same-gender couples.
Catholic publishers have released three new books that focus on or include LGBTQ+ issues, highlighting the faithful’s demand for more resources on building an inclusive church and equal society.
In a few months, as the world marks the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ election, there are certain to be many commentaries about what has and has not changed in the church this pontificate. For LGBTQ+ advocates, however, an indication of just how much progress has been attained happened late last year—and offers a prompt to keep pursuing equality in 2023.
Two of Germany’s top Catholic lay organizations have endorsed proposed civil legislation to expand transgender rights.
A monastery in Germany has begun investigating one of its members over an anti-LGBTQ+ homily delivered in December, while the local bishop offered his own condemnation of the priest’s remarks.