LGBT+ activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo are celebrating the arrival of Pope Francis, whose recent push for the decriminalization of same-sex relations has given them hope of greater acceptance of their community across Africa.
Despite the fact that same-sex relations are illegal or taboo in many socially conservative African countries, the pope’s message of inclusion and evolution in the Catholic Church has been received as a “beautiful message” by activists. The Catholic Church teaches that while same-sex attraction is not a sin, same-sex acts are.
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According to the most recent data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association World, Africa accounts for half of the world’s 64 countries that criminalize same-sex relations. While it remains uncertain if the pope will address the topic during his visit, his message of decriminalization will have been heard by the continent’s many Catholic faithful.
