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Pope Francis, Justin Welby Oppose Criminalisation Of LGBT Community

by | Fri, Feb 10 2023

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Three of the world’s most influential Christian leaders have spoken out against laws that criminalise LGBT people.

Pope Francis said God loves and accompanies people with same sex attraction.

He said their criminalisation in around 60 countries including some carrying the death penalty, cannot be ignored.

Nor can the views of some Catholic bishops who Francis said needed to undergo a process of change to recognise the dignity of everyone.

The Pope noted that the Catholic Church’s catechism says same sex attraction is not a sin but homosexual acts are, adding that LGBT people should not be marginalised.

He said he could not judge people with same sex tendencies who are seeking God and that parents should not disown their children with those tendencies.

The pontiff made the comments while returning from a visit to South Sudan with Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Iain Greenshields.

They both praised the pope’s comments.

The Archbishop of Canterbury said: “I shall certainly quote the Holy Father. He said it so beautifully and accurately”.

Reverend Greenshield said: “There is nowhere in my reading of the four Gospels where I see Jesus turning anyone away. There is nowhere in the four Gospels that I see anything other than Jesus expressing love to whoever he meets and as Christians that is the only expression that we can give to any human being in any circumstance”.

Francis stressed that the Catholic Church cannot permit the sacramental marriage of same sex couples.

However, he supported so-called civil union legislation giving same sex couples legal protection on issues such as pensions, inheritance and health care.