Task Force Urges Pope Francis to Practice “Golden Rule” for LGBTQ People and their Families

Washington, DC, September 24, 2015 — The National LGBTQ Task Force is urging Pope Francis to practice the “Golden Rule” for LGBTQ people and their families. The Pope emphasized the often quoted axiom in his address to a joint session of the US Congress—but went on to implicitly criticize marriage equality and reproductive rights, issues of vital importance to LGBTQ people and their allies.

“We welcome Pope Francis’ advocacy for the ‘Golden Rule,’ which calls on everyone to ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ But this doesn’t seem to apply to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our families. Nor does it apply to the millions who need vital access to reproductive health services. We urge Pope Francis to use his position of immense power to create a truly welcoming and affirming church for all LGBTQ people — and to treat our families with dignity and equal respect. We also urge him to modernize the church’s position on reproductive health.

“That said, we welcome Pope Francis’s use of his pastoral voice to express the need for eliminating poverty and unemployment; the urgency for fair and comprehensive immigration reform; the abolition of the death penalty; the creation of an economy that is ‘modern, inclusive and sustainable;’ the better stewardship of the environment; and the need to end war and to promote peace. It’s unfortunate that a leader who can be so good on these issues can be so out of touch on others,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force.

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CONTACT:
Jorge Amaro
Media and Public Relations Director
213-842-7564
jamaro@thetaskforce.org