Last Wednesday, the Pope received two LGBT+ activists: Clare Byarugaba from Uganda and Ebenezer Peegah from Ghana. In both countries, a very strict anti-LGBT+ law was recently passed, in which even identifying as LGBT+ is punishable. On Twitter/X, Byarugaba described the Pope's message to her and other Ugandan LGBT+ individuals: "His Holiness reiterated that discrimination is a sin & violence against LGBTI people is unacceptable. He said the Church should never discriminate. He walks with everyone that has been denied their dignity. He further encouraged us to defend our rights."

The Pope had a similar message for Ghanaian activist Peegah. Peegah thanked the Pope for his progressive views. “I was honoured to meet Pope Francis. I told him that I joined the Catholic Church when I was young and we always prayed for the Pope. I always asked myself if the Pope would pray for me as a queer person? But, his progressive statements brought hope. So, I thanked him.”

African Bishops

The visit of the two African activists is significant. The Pope is not popular among African bishops. When the Pope allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, he had to make an exception for Africa after fierce criticism from the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa. According to African bishops, blessing same-sex couples would cause "confusion" among believers and resemble the "cultural colonisation of Africa."

Recently, the Pope himself faced criticism for using homophobic language. He reportedly said that there is an "atmosphere of faggotry" in the Vatican.