Pope Francis has become the first Catholic pope to condemn the criminalization of homosexuality. In an interview with the Associated Press, Francis called anti-LGBTQ laws “unjust” and said “being homosexual isn’t a crime.” Though international LGBTQ rights advocates are celebrating the pope’s stance as a milestone, his comments still leave much to be desired.
“It’s not a crime. Yes, but it’s a sin. Fine, but first let’s distinguish between a sin and a crime,” Francis told interviewers. “It’s also a sin to lack charity with one another.”
Francis acknowledged that Catholic bishops in certain parts of the world still support anti-LGBTQ legislation even after his previous remarks that churches should welcome LGBTQ people into their congregations. He contributed this to deeply rooted cultural biases and said bishops need to undergo a process of change to recognize the dignity of everyone.
An estimated 67 countries or territories worldwide criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, 11 of which can or do impose the death penalty, according to the Human Dignity Trust. In the U.S., record numbers of anti-LGBTQ legislation are being introduced at the state level. Meanwhile, the right to religious freedom has been used as means to further discriminate against same-gender couples in the U.S.
Pope Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church in saying queer people must be welcomed and respected and should not be marginalized 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 told the AP in the Vatican hotel where he lives.
Starting with his famous 2013 declaration, ‘Who am I to judge?’ when he was asked about a purportedly gay priest, Francis has gone on to minister repeatedly and publicly to the queer and transgender communities. Despite such outreach, Pope Francis was criticized by queer Catholics for his 2021 doctrine which states that the church cannot bless same-gender unions. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he favored granting legal protections to same-gender couples as an alternative to endorsing same-gender marriage.
Despite meeting with a group of unhoused trans people several times last year, Pope Francis has stuck stubbornly to a “hate the sin, love the sinner” stance regarding LGBTQ+ people and their place in society. He infamously compared transgender people to nuclear weapons and mass murder in 2015 and referred to trans acceptance as “ideological colonization” a year later.
Though his stance of acceptance when it comes to LGBTQ people is technically historic when compared to previous popes’ opines of homosexuals being worthy of death, in the year 2023, this form of weak allyship is setting the bar too low.
