Roman Catholic Bishop, Francis Alleyne has said that it is time for the anti-sodomy laws in Guyana be made null and void even though he did reference the fact that the Church is of the firm view that sexual activity outside of the male/female covenantal relationship for the purpose of procreation is disordered and morally wrong.
Bishop Alleyne was the keynote speaker at the recently concluded Intimate Conviction 2 virtual conference and while he spoke about the act of homosexuality being morally wrong according to the church’s teachings, he did advocate love for all mankind.
In his presentation, he noted that in Guyana, the existing laws as he understood them are seldom invoked and when they are it is by the law enforcers with the intention of victimising members of the LGBTQ community.
“Having listened to the reports of the discrimination and sought the advice on the scope of these laws, there is no doubt in my mind that these laws in Guyana should be made null and void,” the Bishop declared.
“That, in short, is what I see as the present disposition of the Catholic Church in the region and in Guyana,” he continued.
Referring to a 2013 paper produced by the Caribbean Development Research Services Incorporated titled “Attitudes towards homosexuals in Guyana”, Bishop Alleyne said he judged the initiative to be very helpful in that it placed some specifics on the table and moved the conversation from vague assertions and discussion to naming the attitude and giving some clarity as to how prevalent they were and the groups or areas where they originated or were promulgated.
“Given that there have been violent outbursts against the LGBTQ community in Guyana, it would leave the impression that there was a high level of phobia. The paper did report very strong views against homosexuals, stating that they should be severely condemned, beaten, imprisoned, or even hanged,” the Catholic bishop said.
Further, the study also revealed that there was a high percentage of persons who expressed tolerance and acceptance and when people were polled about the anti-sodomy laws, many did not know of them and when these were explained, thought that the laws were illogical.
The Catholic bishop inferred from the paper that there was evidence that even among those who may have been generally dismissive or even condemnatory of homosexuals, when asked what if the person was a family member, a friend, or colleague at work, the responses weighed much more on the side of compassion and acceptance.
“Here is an invitation to pastoral outreach, we belong to each other. Every person is endowed with dignity and worth deserving [of] our outmost respect,” he told the conference.
He noted that recently, Pope Francis articulated the belonging and the fuller expressions of life humans are called to celebrate when they build communion. He made reference to the global efforts of integration such as the United Nations, European Union, similar efforts in Latin America, and in CARICOM.
On the pastoral level, Bishop Alleyne said he believes it would go a long way if faith bodies would create spaces where people could celebrate their common humanity.
He recalled the account given to him by an elderly woman who had estranged herself from her nephew because of his gay lifestyle. She was later told that her nephew was dying and had HIV, and after some struggle between her loyalty to her understanding of the church’s teachings and her loyalty to family, she went to visit her nephew. When she met his associates and saw the manner in which they were looking after him, she left with a different disposition towards her nephew and his companions.
“This for me would be an example of a person’s vocabulary increasing while putting fears to rest,” he said.
And referring to the scriptural references that are also made to keep corporal punishment in schools, Bishop Alleyne argued that men hide behind text and sidestep their responsibilities to real people in real circumstances in real time.
“If we are going to draw on the text or scripture, certainly from the point of view of Christianity, texts, particularly the gospels are there to challenge and push back boundaries to promote life and open ways and possibilities for all peoples to attain a fuller stature,” he pointed out.
He noted that at the heart of Christianity is the teaching that lives and relationships can be nurtured through love. The Bishop said he believes the scriptures of other faiths would offer similar counsel as the more modern insights of the behavioural sciences. He said such texts are sometimes avoided as the way of love asks much more of humans and requires them to accompany, to walk with others, and discover their gifts with them, to be available to the other, to be patient, give affirmation and encouragement.
“There are numerous texts, particularly in the gospels that we can see that in various ways it points to the Christian assuming responsibility for his or her life and the lives of others, especially the minorities and vulnerable persons or groups and to do so with compassion and in service, with generosity and with a sense of sacredness and respect,” he pointed out.
He called for such texts to be first ones that should quoted if one is looking for a supportive word from the scripture. Such texts he said foster communion, put people in touch with each other and equip them to better negotiate the unclear and uncomfortable tensions that may arise when “we encounter the unfamiliar.” These are the texts, he added, that would quell our fears.
Nine countries
Bishop Alleyne noted that the anti sodomy laws apply to nine countries or 11 dioceses in the region.
He said that in 2001 the Bishops of the Antilles had put out a document entitled “Statement on Homosexuality and Homosexual Behaviors”.
The opening paragraph of that document states: “The contemporary political pressures to change legislation in order to decriminalise consensual homosexual activity are now present in the Caribbean region. The discussions, already quite emotional, have raised two major issues for the Catholic Church. The first issue is that the people must understand the doctrinal moral teaching of the Church on homosexuality. The second issue is that in the context of the discussion to change legislation, the teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality must be communicated clearly, accurately and continually by the churches in the region.”
Bishop Alleyne noted that the topic was sufficiently present in the region in 2001 to invoke a statement from the bishops and in essence it states that sexual activity outside of the male/female covenantal relationship for the purpose of procreation is disordered and morally wrong.
The document, he said, does not state whether or not the law should be removed from the books but does say “No matter how the debate on decriminalising adult consensual homosexuality activities ends, the teachings of the church shall remain unchanged and the pastoral outreach of the church will continue to manifest the reconciling love of the Lord.”
He pointed out that as is often the case when a subject of such an organic nature comes under review there is a tension between the established doctrine teaching and the pastoral concerns. There is a body of official teachings on one hand and real people on the ground in the other.
The document did state as well that, “While the church is obliged to preach the truth it is also obliged by the love of Christ to provide quality pastoral care to all persons who have a homosexual orientation or who maybe struggling with homosexual behavior.”
In 2015 the Bishops of the Antilles issued another statement entitled “Marriage: A Covenant between a man and a woman”. At that time there was debate in the region about the legal recognition of same-sex unions. In many of dioceses, priests are licensed by the state to register marriages and there was some speculation that should it come about that same-sex unions would be granted legal recognition then marriage officers of the state may be required to comply.
The 2015 statement made reference to the decriminalisation of the anti-buggery laws but it pointed out that “Respect for others however, does not imply approval of the lifestyles contrary to the traditional ones. Even if and when the state were to decriminalise the anti-buggery law, always bearing in mind that the legality does not make a thing moral. Our duty under all circumstances is to profess love and concern as we remain firm in the faith of our Father’s, fostered and maintained by God’s Holy Spirit.”
According to Bishop Alleyne in his conversations with Bishops in the regions, he gleaned that decriminalisation is not a front burner issue for them in their respective territories.
