09/12/2024
South African LGBTQIA+ newswire Mamba Online reports that 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. “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. Mamba Online staff writer Roberto Igual said 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 February, Francis acknowledged the fervent opposition from African Catholics to his more inclusive approach to homosexuality and same-sex relationships. You can see pictures of Clare meeting with The Pontiff at Mamba Online's website.
