Public Health & New Vatican Approach to Gays

2014 may well go down in history as a watershed moment for the human and health rights of gay and lesbian people in Kenya and across the globe. In July 2014, the World Health Organization released consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations, which among other things identifies punitive legislative frameworks such as criminalization of gay people, (and  HIV transmission), coupled with lack of protective laws as significant barriers to access to health. The guidelines point out that decriminalization and protecting basic human rights as important critical enablers for health. The guidelines are available here  

Just this month, the Pope gathered some 200 Bishops and other Catholic leaders to discuss hot baton issues facing the family. These include divorce and remarriage but it is issues related to gay relationships that have created much furore.  This is despite the fact that of 58 paragraphs in the document, these are in only three paragraphs: 

50. Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?

51. The question of homosexuality leads to a serious reflection on how to elaborate realistic paths of affective growth and human and evangelical maturity integrating the sexual dimension: it appears therefore as an important educative challenge. The Church furthermore affirms that unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the same footing as matrimony between man and woman. Nor is it acceptable that pressure be brought to bear on pastors or that international bodies make financial aid dependent on the introduction of regulations inspired by gender ideology.

52. Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners. Furthermore, the Church pays special attention to the children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasizing that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority.

Paragraph 50 has since been revised to:

50.        Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community. Are we capable of providing for these people, guaranteeing [...] them [...] a place of fellowship in our communities? Oftentimes, they want to encounter a Church which offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of this, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?

Some within the Church felt uncomfortable with the term “Welcoming” while others wanted the issue of religious freedom further captured in no. 52, hence the line “Nor is it acceptable that the pastor’s outlook be pressured…”was added. The full version of the report is available here.

Public Health

But why is this important for public health? Because the Church (both Catholic and Non Catholic) have been a major barrier to removal of structural dis-enablers to the health of what are referred to as Key Populations. Criminalization has been taken by some Catholic clergy, such as Cardinal Njue, who is reported to have said of those asking for decriminalization to “forget, forget and forget”; as important in protecting the African society from gays – the cost to public health not withstanding. 

One hopes then that in the new spirit of “providing for these people…” we can indeed remove the legal barriers to access with speed, so that we focus on other longer term barriers like stigma and discrimination, with the Church being an important supporter of this process.