The Pope Endorses Same-Sex Unions: Will The Local Arch Bishop Accept The Papal Decree?
In a shocking statement, Pope Francis expressed his support for same-sex couples, noting that they should be allowed to have “civil unions”.
This comment comes after a documentary directed by Evgeny Afineevsky featured the pope expressing his controversial stance.
“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family,” he was filmed as saying in the documentary which was set to premiere on Wednesday afternoon in Rome.
“They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it,” said the Pope. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way, they are legally covered.”
The documentary focuses on the life and work of Pope Francis. In spite of his comments, the current catholic doctrine indicates gay relationships as “deviant behavior”.
Guyanapress reached out to the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) for comments on the Pope’s remarks. The director of SASOD, Joel Earl Simpson, reiterated the organization’s mandate on this issue.
“SASOD Guyana is an over 17-year old human rights movement band organization leading change, educating and serving communities to end discrimination based on sexuality and gender in Guyana and the Caribbean. Our vision is to create just and equitable communities. We are therefore focused on ending discriminatory laws and policies, winning hearts and minds to stop all forms of prejudice and researching and implementing solutions to critical social-economic challenges faced by the communities we serve,” said Joel Earl Simpson.
Notably, Guyana is the only country in South America that criminalizes persons engaging in homosexual acts, and heterosexual anal and oral sex. These actions, if caught, can lead to a sentence of life imprisonment.
The Director of SASOD stated that the organization’s mission is to protect the rights of LGBTQ people, even if same-sex marriage unions are not part of the organization’s mandate.
“The Pope’s decision to recognize that LGBTQ people have a right to family life is the most important aspect of his pronouncement on recognizing same-sex unions. While same-sex marriage is not party of the agenda of Guyana’s LGBTQ movement, we do believe that LGBTQ people should be afforded the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts. Those human rights include the right to start and raise a family,” said Joel Earl Simpson.
Pope Francis has never spoken out publicly about same-sex unions. He once criticizes a gay bill law passed in Argentina, claiming that it was a “destructive attack on God’s plan.”