Mena Veroh
Pope Francis, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, and the protestant church leaders in England and Scotland have criticized the criminalization of homosexuality and said that persons with “homosexual tendencies” should be embraced by their religions.
Along with the Pope, Archbishop Justin Welby and Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, visited the war-torn nation of South Sudan to urge for peace there.
Speaking to reporters, the Pope declared that such laws were “an injustice” and a sin.
People who have “homosexual inclinations,” he said, are God’s children. As the Pope’s jet flew from Juba to Rome, Archbishop Welby, and Dr. Greenshields held a press conference with journalists and commended the Pope for his remarks.
Archbishop Welby stated, “I absolutely agree with every word he said there,” emphasizing that the Anglican church had its own internal disagreements about LGBT rights.
Pope Francis reiterated at the press conference that the Catholic Church cannot recognize same-sex marriage as a sacrament.
However, he stated that he was in favor of so-called civil union legislation and emphasized that there was “an issue that cannot be overlooked” with laws that forbid homosexuality.
In his estimation, 50 nations “in one form or another” criminalize LGBT individuals, and around 10 of those have laws that carry the death sentence.
According to ILGA World, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association, 66 UN member nations now criminalize consensual same-sex relationships.
The Church of England said last month that it will not permit same-sex marriages in its churches.
Dr. Greenshields cited the Bible in support of his position and stated: “There is nowhere in the four Gospels that I find anything other than Jesus expressing love to everybody he encounters, and as Christians it is the only expression that we can offer to any human being in any scenario.”
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