Homosexual Violence and the Church.

Jodi Jacobson writes at RHRealityCheck that the Holy See has condemned violence and discrimination toward homosexuals. Read the entire article here.

At what advocates have called a "breakthrough meeting," the Holy See delivered a statement that said it:

opposes all forms of violence and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons, including discriminatory penal legislation which undermines the inherent dignity of the human person. … [T]he murder and abuse of homosexual persons are to be confronted on all levels, especially when such violence is perpetrated by the State.

The United Nations General Assembly panel, which met this week, "helped build new momentum for ending human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity," according to a coalition of human rights advocacy organizations. (A video of the panel can be viewed by clickinghere.)

The meeting included discussion of discriminatory and draconian “anti-homosexuality legislation” currently before the Ugandan parliament, and of the role of American religious groups in promoting that bill and homophobia across Africa. In a groundbreaking move, a representative of the Holy See in the audience read a statement strongly condemning the criminalization of homosexual conduct.

The panel was held on December 10th, International Human Rights Day, and the 61st anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It featured speakers from Honduras, India, the Philippines, and Zambia, as well as Uganda, where the proposed "anti-homosexuality law shows the steady threat of government repression."