Pope Francis ‘denounces anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination’ in historic meeting with Ugandan activist
Pope Francis met with Ugandan LGBTQ+ advocate Clare Byarugaba. (X/Clare Byarugaba)
Pope Francis has made history by joining a Ugandan LGBTQ+-rights activist in condemning the discrimination faced by queer people in the country.
In a video posted on X/Twitter, Clare Byarugaba can be seen shaking hands and kissing the pope on both cheeks, marking the first time the head of the Catholic Church has met with an LGBTQ+ activist from Uganda.
Byarugaba said the pontiff had reiterated that “discrimination is a sin, and violence against the LGBTIQ communities is unacceptable”.
The activist, who is the equality and non-discrimination programme officer for civil liberties group Chapter Four Uganda, referred to the East African nation’s Anti-Homosexuality Act.
President Yoweri Museveni signed the “gay law” into effect in May 2023, leaving LGBTQ+ people living in fear of their lives. The legislation intensified punishment for homosexuality, with imprisonment for up to life, and included a new offence of “aggravated homosexuality”, which carries the death penalty.
In a statement, Chapter Four Uganda claimed: “[The pope] said the Church should never discriminate. He walks with everyone [who] has been denied their dignity. He further encouraged us to defend our rights.”
Ugandan LGBTQ+ advocate, Dr Frank Mugisha, wrote on X that the pope’s meeting with Byarugaba sends “a strong message to anti-rights and anti-gay Ugandans”.
Francis hasn’t commented directly on the Ugandan law, and the historic meeting comes after he was accused, for a second time, of using an anti-gay slur in a behind-closed-door meeting with Catholic bishops.
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