Pope Meets Ugandan LGBTIQ Activist in Rome

In a historic moment, a Ugandan LGBTIQ activist has met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, reportedly receiving his support in the fight for equal rights.

In a video and images posted on X by Chapter Four Uganda, the organisation’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Clare Byarugaba, is seen greeting and sitting next to the Pontiff.

Byarugaba said she was “honoured” to meet Francis and briefed him on the “gross human rights violations” and the “ruinous impact” of Uganda’s anti-LGBTIQ laws, including the draconian 2023 Anti-Homosexuality Act.

Byarugaba revealed that the Pope condemned efforts to deny LGBTIQ people their human rights.

“His Holiness reiterated that discrimination is a sin and violence against LGBTI people is unacceptable,” Byarugaba conveyed.

“He said the Church should never discriminate. He walks with everyone that has been denied their dignity. He further encouraged us to defend our rights,” she added.

While the Pope has previously spoken out against legislation criminalising same-sex intimacy, the Catholic Church in some African countries like Ghana has publicly backed oppressive anti-LGBTIQ laws.

In January, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), representing African Catholic bishops, published a letter rejecting any acceptance of homosexuality or same-sex unions.

In February, Francis acknowledged the fervent opposition from African Catholics to his more inclusive approach to homosexuality and same-sex relationships.

He stated that Africa is “a special case” because “for them, homosexuality is something ‘bad’ from a cultural point of view; they don’t tolerate it.”

The Vatican, under Francis’ leadership, has gradually adopted a more receptive attitude towards LGBTIQ individuals, although it continues to reject transgender and non-binary identities.

The Vatican has even sanctioned limited blessings by priests for people in same-sex relationships, a step previously deemed unthinkable.

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act imposes life imprisonment for engaging in homosexual acts and the death penalty for “aggravated” homosexuality.

It also outlaws the “promotion of homosexuality,” putting human rights defenders advocating for LGBTIQ rights at risk of imprisonment for up to 20 years.

For the first time in history, @Pontifex met with an LGBTIQ rights advocate from Uganda. @clarekabale our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer met with the Pope at the Vatican🇻🇦

His Holiness reiterated that discrimination is a sin. #ReapealAHA23 pic.twitter.com/fucUBGtj1j

— Chapter Four Uganda (@chapterfourug) August 14, 2024