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2023: Pope Says Homosexuality Not A Crime
VATICAN CITY, Italy — Pope Francis called homosexuality laws “unjust,” saying God loves all his children exactly as they are and urging Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome L.G.B.T.Q. People into the church.
“Being homosexual is not a crime,” Francis said in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
Francis acknowledged that some Catholic bishops worldwide support laws that criminalize homosexuality or discriminate against L.G.B.T.Q. people and he referred to the issue as “sin.” But he said that these ways of thinking were rooted in culture and that bishops in particular needed to change in order to see the worth in everyone.
“These bishops must go through a conversion process,” he said, adding that they must show “tenderness, please, as God has for each of us.”
Francis’ remarks, which gay rights activists hailed as a watershed moment, were the first made by a pope about such laws. They are, however, consistent with his overall approach to L.G.B.T.Q. He believes that the Catholic Church should welcome all people without discrimination.
The Human Dignity Trust, an organization that works to get rid of these kinds of laws, says that 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity. Eleven of these countries or jurisdictions can or do give the death penalty. According to experts, even when laws are not enforced, they contribute to harassment, stigma, and violence against L.G.B.T.Q. People.
Antiquated Laws To Justify Harassment
Despite a 2003 Supreme Court ruling declaring anti-sodomy laws unconstitutional, more than a dozen states still have them on the books. Gay rights activists say the antiquated laws are being used to justify harassment, and they point to new legislation, such as Florida’s “Don’t say gay” law, which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, as evidence of ongoing efforts to marginalize L.G.B.T.Q. People.
Homosexuality is not a crime, according to Pope Francis.
The United Nations has repeatedly called for an end to laws that criminalize homosexuality outright, claiming that they violate the rights to privacy and freedom from discrimination and are a violation of countries’ international legal obligations to protect the human rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Francis called such laws “unjust” and said the Catholic Church could and should work to end them. “It has to do this. “It has to do this,” he stated.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that gay people should be welcomed and treated with respect. They should not be pushed to the side or treated badly.
“God Loves All” Pope Says
“We are all God’s children, and God loves us for who we are and for the strength with which each of us fights for our dignity,” Francis told the Associated Press in the Vatican hotel where he is staying.
Francis’ remarks come ahead of a trip to Africa, where such laws, like those in the Middle East, are common. Many are from the British colonial era or are influenced by Islamic law. Some Catholic bishops strongly supported them as being consistent with Vatican teaching, while others called for their repeal as a violation of basic human dignity.
In 2019, Francis was expected to say something against making homosexuality a crime during a meeting with human rights groups that studied the effects of such laws and so-called “conversion therapies.”
In the end, the pope did not meet with the groups after word of the audience leaked. Instead, Vatican No. 2 reaffirmed “the dignity of every human being and the prohibition of all forms of violence.”
There was no indication that Francis was now speaking out against such laws because his more conservative predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, died recently. The subject had never been raised in an interview before, but Francis eagerly responded, citing statistics about the number of countries where homosexuality is illegal.
A Difference Between Crime And Sin
Pope Francis said on Tuesday that there should be a difference between a crime and a sin when it comes to homosexuality. According to church teaching, homosexual acts are sinful or “intrinsically disordered,” but gay people must be treated with dignity and respect.
While joking with himself, Francis stated, “It’s not a crime. True, but it is a sin. Okay, but first, let’s define the difference between a sin and a crime.”
“It’s also a sin not to be charitable to one another,” he added.
Francis has not changed the church’s teaching on homosexuality, which has long enraged gay Catholics. However, he has made reaching out to L.G.B.T.Q. People a hallmark of his pontificate.
Although the pope’s remarks did not specifically address transgender or nonbinary people, only homosexuality, advocates for greater L.G.B.T.Q and inclusion in the Catholic Church hailed the pope’s remarks as a watershed moment.
A Message To World Leaders
“His historic statement should send a message to world leaders and millions of Catholics worldwide: L.G.B.T.Q. People deserve to live in a world free of violence and condemnation, with more kindness and understanding,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and C.E.O. of the G.L.A.A.D. advocacy group in the United States.
According to New Ways Ministry, a Catholic L.G.B.T.Q. Advocacy groups and the church hierarchy’s silence on such laws have had disastrous consequences, perpetuating such policies and fueling violent rhetoric against L.G.B.T.Q. People.
“The pope is reminding the church that how people treat one another in the social world is far more morally important than what people may do in the privacy of a bedroom,” said the group’s executive director, Francis DeBernardo, in a statement.
One of the cardinals recently appointed by the Pope, Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, is among those Catholics who want the church to go even further and fully welcome L.G.B.T.Q. People, even if they are sexually active.
No Room For Hatred
“It is a demonic mystery of the human soul why so many men and women have a profound and visceral animus toward members of the L.G.B.T. communities,” McElroy wrote in the Jesuit publication America on Tuesday. “In the face of bigotry, the church’s primary witness must be one of embrace rather than distance or condemnation.”
Pope Francis has repeatedly and publicly ministered to the gay and transgender communities, beginning with his famous 2013 declaration, “Who am I to judge?” when asked about a purportedly gay priest. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, he advocated for legal protections for same-sex couples rather than approving gay marriage, which Catholic doctrine forbids.
Despite such outreach, the Catholic gay community chastised Francis for a 2021 decree from the Vatican’s doctrine office that stated the church could not bless same-sex unions.
In 2008, the Vatican refused to sign a United Nations declaration calling for decriminalizing homosexuality, claiming that the text went beyond its original scope. The Vatican urged countries at the time to avoid “unjust discrimination” against gay people and to abolish penalties against them.
SOURCE – (AP)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has rejected a request from a 99-year-old WW2 for a meeting to discuss the frozen state pension policy for citizens living abroad. Starmer declined the meeting but offered an alternative meeting with Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds.
Anne Puckridge, who turns 100 this month, went from her home in Canada to agitate Keir Starmer’s Labour government over the state pension freeze.
The World War II veteran told the BBC that she is “angry” and “heartbroken” following a meeting with the pensions minister, who led her to believe that the government will not reconsider its policy of freezing the state pensions of some British people living abroad.
Anne Puckridge is one of approximately 453,000 British retirees living overseas who do not receive an annual increase in their state pension.
Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds agreed to a meeting after Sir Keir Starmer’s request to meet was denied owing to purported “pressures on his diary.”
Ms. Puckridge stated that the meeting in Parliament left her feeling “bitterly disappointed” and “disgusted”.
She stated that she had the idea Reynolds had been “polite enough and kind enough to come in and spend her time with her,” but that her mind had already been made up before the meeting began.
Ms Puckridge stated that she and her other campaigners would have to think carefully about what they could do from now on, but she assured them that they would take action.
State Pension Minister Reynolds thanked Ms Puckridge for the meeting and for sharing her insights.
A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) representative stated that the government recognizes that “people move abroad for various reasons, and we provide clear information on how this can affect their pensions.”
The policy of increasing the UK state pension for recipients living abroad has existed for many years.
Since she relocated to Canada in 2001 at the age of 76 to live closer to her daughter, Ms Puckridge has received £72.50 (C$129.00) per week.
Her state pension is now less than half the £169.50 (C$302.00) paid to seniors still residing in the United Kingdom. She told the BBC that frozen pensions touch all aspects of life.
“You’ve got to be careful about entertainment,” she told me. “You must realize that you cannot be as kind to your grandkids as you would like.
“You feel you’ve lost all sense of dignity, the government has thrown you away, you know, out of sight out of mind.”
Ms. Puckridge stated that when she alerted the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was moving to Canada, “they never said a word about [my] pension being frozen”.
“The first I knew about it was when my first rise was due,” she recalled.
“I didn’t understand it. So I wrote and enquired about it, and I was told no… you will not receive any additional pension rises when you leave the UK.” She said, “It’s the injustice of it that is so unfair, the fact that we were never warned.”
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British military expertise has been brought in to assist in identifying persons responsible for flying Air Force drones near US military locations. According to the BBC, 60 RAF troops have been dispatched to assist the US Air Force with its probe.
The Air Force drones were not deemed hostile, according to the USAF, who added that the sightings “fluctuated and varied between the bases” and “ranged in sizes and configurations”.
According to the Ministry of Defence, “We are supporting the US Air Force response.”
The announcement follows several recent reports of unmanned aerial vehicles sighted near RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and RAF Feltwell in adjacent Norfolk.
There have been other reports of drone activity overnight. According to the USAF, the vehicles were few in number and modest in size.
A representative for the US Air Forces in Europe stated, “We can confirm that there were sightings yesterday during nighttime hours, but the number fluctuated and varied between the bases throughout the night.”
The official stated that since the first sightings on November 20th, there has been “no impact on residents or infrastructure, and they have not been identified as hostile.”
However, the Air Force drones remained under surveillance “to ensure the safety and security of the installations.”
They said, “We request individuals in the area to contact either local police or security forces if they see anything suspicious.”
‘Treat threats seriously’
Officials in the United States and the United Kingdom have not said who is responsible for the recent drone activity.
However, the BBC understands there were worries that a state actor could be involved.
In recent months, intelligence officials have warned of increasing Russian sabotage operations against Western countries supporting Ukraine.
RAF Mildenhall is primarily home to the USAF’s 100th Air Refuelling Wing; RAF Lakenheath is home to USAF F-35A and F-15E fighter jets; and RAF Feltwell is mainly concerned with logistics and provides housing for military personnel.
A spokesman for the MoD, which owns the bases, said: “We take threats seriously and maintain robust measures at defence sites.
“We are supporting the US Air Force response.”
The USAF has not said who it believed to be behind the incidents.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ruled out holding an early general election after a petition calling for a second vote garnered two million signatures.
Over the weekend, a petition calling for another general election was started on the UK Parliament website. It cited Starmer’s failure to keep all his pledges made in the run-up to the previous election. By Monday mid-morning, it had surpassed two million signatures.
When asked about the petition, Starmer said he was “not surprised” that some individuals who did not vote for Labour in the previous election want a “re-run” of the poll.
He claimed that he had “inherited a lot of problems” from the previous administration and had resolved to “take the hard decisions first.”
Starmer ruled out an early general election, stating that only the Prime Minister can request that the King call a general election; it simply will not happen, he said.
This petition, started last week and sponsored by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, calls on the government to schedule a new general election.
To sign a petition, you must verify that you are a British citizen or resident and provide a postcode.
The petition states, “I would prefer there to be another general election. I believe the present Labour government has broken the pledges they made before the last election.”
The petition comes only five months after Labour won the July general election with 9.7 million votes and 412 seats in the House of Commons.
However, the Labour Party garnered only 35% of the vote, the lowest percentage gained by a single-party administration since the conclusion of WWII.
Some of the policies implemented by Starmer and his Labour government have received significant criticism, including an inheritance tax on farms, a reduction in winter heating payments, an increase in employers’ national insurance, and applying VAT to private school fees.
According to the most recent Ipsos political pulse poll, the Labour Party is unpopular, with 28% of the public favoring it and 49% opposing it.
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