The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore has expressed support for Pink Dot and urged Singaporeans to accept the LGBTQ community, in an Instagram post published on Wednesday (26 June).
Tagging the post with the hashtags #pinkdot, #pinkdotsg, #pinkdot11, #lgbt, #lgbtq and #pride, the church wrote: “The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear that persons who experience same-sex attractions “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” (CCC 2358)”
The church wrote that while the Catholic faith does not condone homosexual acts, its followers are “asked to see the other, no matter his/her situation in life, as a beloved child of God.”
It continued: “We are not to shun anyone with same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria, but to “accompany with mercy”: to walk with him/her in friendship and prayer, patiently witnessing to them of God’s love.
“It does not mean endorsing choices that contradict our Faith. But neither does it mean imposing our agenda upon that person or condemning them when s/he does not do as we wish.”
The church added that “understanding and appreciating God’s beautiful plan for human sexuality will help us accompany our same-sex attracted friends and relatives with compassion and mercy, always true and faithful to the teachings of the Church.”
The Instagram post has received nearly 2,000 likes and the majority of netizens have praised the church’s stance on the issue.
In April this year, Pope Francis said that homosexual tendencies “are not a sin,” as he encouraged parents who see “rare things” in their children to “please, consult, and go to a professional,” because “it could be that he [or she] is not homosexual.”
When asked about his famous soundbite “Who am I to judge?”, the pope said: “Tendencies are not sin. If you have a tendency to anger, it’s not a sin. Now, if you are angry and hurt people, the sin is there. Sin is acting, of thought, word and deed, with freedom.”
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https://theindependent.sg.sg/pm-lee-quashes-all-hope-that-s377a-will-be-repealed-anytime-soon-says-the-law-will-be-around-for-some-time/