LGBT organizations see Pope’s statement on homosexuals as advance

Criado em 30/07/13 16h18 e atualizado em 30/07/13 18h43
Por Alana Gandra Edição:s Fonte:Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro – Organizations for the defense of homosexuals regarded Pope Francis’s statement as an advance and a symbolic landmark. He said on his trip back to the Vatican on Sunday night (July 28) that homosexuals should not be discriminated against, but rather integrated into society.

The pontiff said that homosexuals should not be judged or marginalized. “If a person’s gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him?” The biggest problem, in his words, is lobbying.

For Loren Alexsander, in charge of the Gays, Transvestites and Cross-Dressers, the pope’s statement represents an advance in society. Alexsander pointed out that the important thing is respect. “[Respect] must be mutual; it must be reciprocal, both from people within our segment and from anyone within civil society.”

Coordinator of Rio sem homofobia (“Rio Free of Homofobia”) state program Cláudio Nascimento considered the pope’s statement an important landmark. “A change in the discourse of the higher authorities of the Catholic Church in other times; it can stand for the beginning of a new moment of the Catholic Church as regards this discussion,” he said.

However, Nascimento advised that it is necessary to wait for what this statement can bring in the future. According to him, it was fortunate that Pope Francis uttered these words in today’s society, since violence and discrimination against gays, lesbians, transsexuals and bisexuals are still frequent all over the world, and since there are countries that punish homosexuality with death.

The coordinator further stated that, in Brazil’s scenario – where one homosexual is killed everyday and 40% of the homosexuals in Rio de Janeiro have suffered some sort of homophobic aggression, “Pope’s statement helps reach people’s hearts and minds, especially [the hearts of] those who have a religious orientation. It plays an important role, no doubt, that cannot be disregarded.”

President of the Grupo Arco-Íris (“Rainbow Group”) of Rio de Janeiro Julio Moreira said that the statement of the pontiff is positive and opens news doors to dialogue. “We also understand that it’s an utterance that comes from the pope, not from the Church. It must be put into practice within the hierarchies of the Catholic Church too,” he argued.

Moreira fostered Pope Francis’s attitude towards building a Church that does not mingle with political lobbies. He declared: “This is crucial to us too – secularism, where the separation between the State and the Church is really respected.”

Editors: Fábio Massalli / Nira Foster
Translators: Fabrício Ferreira / Olga Bardawil