Gay activists
are hoping Pope Francis will preach tolerance toward homosexuals during the pontiff ’s upcoming visit to Uganda.
KAMPALA, Uganda — Gay activists hope Pope Francis will preach tolerance toward homosexuals and condemn violent attacks against them during his upcoming visit to Uganda. Church leaders hope he avoids the issue altogether.
That underscores the acrimonious state of the gayrights debate on a continent where homosexuality remains taboo. In Uganda, where homosexuality is illegal and where attacks against gays have forced many to seek refuge abroad or lead secret lives at home, gay leaders nevertheless hope Francis will weigh in with a firm message of tolerance on Friday when he visits.
“I see this particular pope as more progressive, but I wouldn’t call him an ally like (President) Obama,” said Frank Mugisha, a prominent gay leader.
Francis, who will be visiting Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic beginning Wednesday through Nov. 30, famously said in 2013 “Who am I to judge?” in reference to a purportedly gay priest. He has called for a church that is more tolerant and welcoming for those on the margins, including gays.
He has also denounced what he calls the “ideological colonization” of the developing world, a reference to the way wealthy countries and nonprofit groups condition development aid on Western ideas about contraception and human rights.
In Africa, that can boil down to the loss of international funding for school or health programs unless they promote condom use. Some European countries cut funding to Uganda’s government when it passed an anti-gay bill, which had widespread support in Uganda even as the international community condemned it as draconian.
The bill was signed into law last year before a court nullified it on a technicality; an earlier version had prescribed the death penalty for some homosexual acts. Homosexuality is still criminalized under a colonialera law banning sex acts against what it calls the order of nature.
Stronger anti-gay legislation was supported by local church leaders who said it was necessary to protect poor African children from Western homosexuals who lure them with money.
At a recent Vatican meeting on family issues, African cardinals said the Catholic Church has no right to impose its ideas on poor countries with different cultural views.
“I doubt that Pope Francis will talk about homosexuals,” said Archbishop John Baptist Odama, who heads the local conference of Catholic bishops. “There is a clear teaching of the church on homosexuality. Because the aim of it is not to promote life but to act against it, those with that tendency are called to abstinence.” The Vatican spokesman refused last week to say whether Francis would wade into the debate, but he would be unlikely to go against the wishes of his local bishops. That’s fine with many Ugandans, who hope Francis will preach more broadly about improving the lives of marginalized people.
Simon Lokodo, a Ugandan ethics minister who publicly condemns homosexuals, said any statement on tolerance for homosexuals would be unpalatable to most Ugandans.
“I am praying that he doesn’t talk about this because it will open a Pandora’s box,” he said. “Here in Uganda the tone is different. If he is to talk about homosexuals, then let him focus on acceptance but not tolerance. ... It is bad enough that homosexuals are there, but let them not go ahead and expose themselves.”
Mugisha, the gay activist, believes a message of compassion from Francis might challenge local church leaders to be less hostile toward those who are openly gay.
“We want a position that is very clear from the Vatican that says, ‘Do not discriminate, do not harm homosexuals,’ a message of tolerance,” he said.