Christians and Catholics continue to face religious persecution and marginalisation in many countries, furthermore, many of our LGBTIQ sisters and brothers in these communities, are deliberately targeted. In many parts of the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and Intersex persons face severe discrimination due to their sexual orientation or gender identity and, in nearly 80 countries, consensual same-sex acts are criminalised. The UN has highlighted the link between criminalization laws and “homophobic hate crimes, police abuse, torture, and family and community violence.” Many countries do not have specific laws targeting LGBTI persons, but are often unable or unwilling to protect LGBTI persons whose human rights are violated or abused.

Catholics have a moral obligation to speak up against these injustices, especially in communities where there are considerable Catholic populations.

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