
|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
Pope must now also oppose death penalty for being LGBTQI says U.S. Catholic group
2018-08-06
|
|
This article shared 1145 times since Mon Aug 6, 2018
|
|
Aug. 6, 2018. Last week, Pope Francis changed the Catechism of the Catholic Church to make the death penalty entirely unacceptable, saying it is "an attack" on human dignity. DignityUSA, the organization of LGBTQI Catholics and allies, welcomes this change, along with many other Catholics around the world. DignityUSA also notes that this news has some very important and particular implications for LGBTQI people. Therefore, DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke has issued the following statement:
If it is to be consistent in its opposition to the death penalty, the Catholic Church must now back away from supporting or turning a blind eye in the ten or more nations where simply being homosexual and/or transgender can be punished by death.We call on Church officials to bring the same "determination" Pope Francis promised in working for the abolition of the death penalty across the globe to its eradication in these instances.
Pope Francis' action to change the Catechism on his own, without the approval of the College or Cardinals or any other official body, means that he can also change the harmful and dehumanizing language that says being gay is "objectively disordered," and that all same-sex relationships "are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved." ( Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2357 ) This language undermines the safety, dignity, and spiritual and emotional health of many people around the globe and must be removed from the Catechism. We call on Pope Francis to change or eliminate this language, which has caused so much harm for so many through the years.
Even where anti-LGBTQI violence is legally prohibited, LGBTQI people remain targets of violence and murder at rates much higher than cisgender and straight people. This, too, is a grievous assault on human dignity. The elimination of support for the death penalty should not be conditional on any aspect of the people involved, least of all on the completely innocent trait of sexual orientation or gender identity. This means that the Church must support the full human dignity of all people without exception. We call on Pope Francis and all Church officials to advocate vigorously for the lives and safety of LGBTQI people, as they must do for others.
Finally, we call on all Catholics committed to justice and equality for LGBTQI people to insist that this important and welcome change in the Catechism be applied to LGBTQI people in the same way it is applied to others.
From a press release |
 |
|
 |
This article shared 1145 times since Mon Aug 6, 2018
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
| 
|  | Kentucky lawmakers pass anti-trans youth bill; governor plans to veto measure 2023-03-20 In Kentucky, Republican lawmakers passed a bill that bans minors from receiving gender-affirming care, lets educators refuse to refer to trans students by their preferred pronouns and would not allow schools to discuss sexual orientation or ...
| 
|  | WORLD German bishops, trans woman's death, Hungary, human-rights event 2023-03-18 Germany's Catholic bishops voted (38 to nine, with 11 abstentions) to adopt formal ceremonies for the blessing of same-sex relationships, defying the Vatican and testing church unity on what has become one of the most contentious ...
| 
|  | HRC settles race-based lawsuit with former president 2023-03-16 Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and its Black former president, Alphonso David, settled a lawsuit in which David had alleged racial discrimination in his firing, Reuters reported. In September 2021, David was fired after New York state ...
| 
|  | Arkansas governor signs anti-trans medical malpractice bill 2023-03-15 Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law a measure that makes it easier to sue providers of gender-affirming care for children, ABC News reported. This move, involving a law that will take effect this ...
| 
|  | Protest held outside New Life Covenant Church over alleged anti-LGBTQ practices 2023-03-13 Now-former New Life Covenant Church parishioner Rosaly Andino, who is a lesbian, and her allies gathered across the street from the church in the Humboldt Park neighborhood March 12 to protest alleged anti-LGBTQ practices by Pastor David Marrero. ...
| 
|  | WORLD Zero Discrimination Day, African countries, facility damaged, travel items 2023-03-10 On Zero Discrimination Day this year (March 1), under the theme "Save lives: Decriminalize," UNAIDS showed how the decriminalization of key populations and people living with HIV saves lives and helps advance the end of the ...
| 
|  | Minn. governor signs order protecting gender-affirming healthcare 2023-03-10 At a time when so many political officials seem to be backing anti-LGBTQ+ measures, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is doing just the opposite. On March 8, Walz signed an executive order protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ ...
| 
|  | Non-binary Okla. state rep censured after incident; LGBTQ+ groups respond 2023-03-08 On March 7, the Oklahoma House voted to censure (or publicly express strong disapproval of) Democratic non-binary state Rep. Mauree Turner for allegedly harboring a fugitive following a recent confrontation ...
| 
|  | WORLD Kenyan group, Alan Emtage, trans anchor, Hershey campaign 2023-03-04 The Kenyan Supreme Court allowed an LGBTQI+-rights group to register as a non-governmental organization, The Washington Blade reported. Ten years ago, Eric Gitari, the former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission ...
| 
|  | Coalition of tradeswomen, teachers, civil rights groups applaud end of Trump-Era rule allowing discrimination 2023-03-03 --From a press release - Washington, D.C. — On March 1, the United States Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) officially rescinded a Trump-era rule that vastly expanded the ability ...
| 
|  | LGBTQ+ groups criticize Tenn. bill that bans access to medical care for trans youth 2023-03-03 --From a press release - NASHVILLE — On March 2, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law HB1/SB1, a bill that prohibits transgender-related healthcare in Tennessee for people under the age of 18. The bill is set to take effect on ...
| 
|  | Raoul, IDHR issue guidance on protections against bias related to pregnancy, reproductive health 2023-03-02 --From a press release - Chicago — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) today released a guide on the state's protections against discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, and ...
| 
|  | Jussie Smollett appeals hoax-related ruling 2023-03-02 Nearly a year after being sentenced to five months in jail for disorderly conduct related to an attack he staged—although he was released on bond just days later—actor Jussie Smollett has filed his appeal. The Chicago ...
| 
|  | House Ethics Committee announces investigation into George Santos 2023-03-02 On March 2, the U.S. House Ethics Committee announced it is officially investigating embattled Rep. George Santos as the gay Republican from New York faces multiple legal issues and calls to resign for extensively lying about ...
| 
|  | Patriarch Kirill: Darth Putin's Altar Boy 2023-03-01 Christianitybased on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who preached love as the most important expression of religionhas often been co-opted and distorted to support wars, persecutions and ...
| |
|
|
|
|