Catholics? What you can do.

I am a person of no religious beliefs. I hang on the fence, smirking at all sides. Makes me laugh, the puzzlement that my country mates have, when I admit to having no religion. Neither fish, nor foul, I claim the one thing that we share. I am a human being. Odd, but true.

But, with my life on line, I recognize the power of faith in people’s lives. Especially in Uganda. Discount the hypocrisy of the persecution. I am being persecuted because, as a Gay Ugandan, I am seen as evil, irreligious, ungodly, against god. And, other things. I am not making this up. This is plain fact.

Those who made the bill, made it in the name of God. And, those who support it, they support it in the name of God. That is what they say. Without qualms. And, they are very, very sincere in that conviction.

So, I have relied on the bill to call upon people who can talk to my murderous country mates. To speak a language that they can understand.

They don’t understand my claimed right to life. To them, as a homosexual in Uganda, I have NO right to life. They don’t understand my sexuality. To them, it is a foreign, infectious perversion. And, they are very proud of the cleansing nature of the bill. I call it genocidal, they see it as bringing Holy Uganda closer to God the almighty. And, they dont want anyone to guide them on essential matters of morality like the immoral West.

So, they do understand the religious arguments. Fact. They do.

But, the religions in Uganda are solidly behind the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Matter of fact. Ssempa’s ‘Inter-religious Rainbow Coalition against Homosexuality in Uganda’ is that. Inter-religious. Joining Catholics, Protestants, SDAs, and Moslems. All against the perceived ravages of the Homosexual International, that is a clear and present danger to mother Uganda.

Think I am lying? Well, check out the comment stream to this article that is in a newspaper in Uganda. It is all in the name of God. Pure and simple.

So, I have called upon the Christians out there to go ahead and speak out against the bill. Because it is a matter of YOUR conscience. Something as monstrous as this, done in the name of your God should be opposed. Not because you are partial to gay people, but, because you are a Christian.

Well, at least, that is my reasoning. There is a Facebook Group that is organizing something to this effect.

Christians in the US. Well, I am not going to blame you for what, ironically, seems to be a direct results of your cultural wars. I don’t understand them. But, I do understand your anger at the god playing and influence peddling of some fellow Americans. Of course, they betray the very ideals of the American spirit of independence, self determination, liberty. They seek to impose their own ideals of life in a country that is far removed from their own. Simply because they can, and they have their plan, and have the money. And my leaders are gullible.

Poverty comes with one of the most expensive gifts. Ignorance. My countrymates are ignorant. We have, for years, seen the missionaries coming. We never realized that they were exporting anything more than the love of the Bible. Certainly not the hate of some of our population. And, now, we cannot believe it.

But, these god players have a vulnerability. The excesses which they encourage here in the name of God are seen as that in your country. Continue shaming them. Continue calling them to account. And, drag them till they publicly dissociate themselves from the bill. That is the least they can do. Show their Ugandan acoylytes that they have gone too far. Because, the Ugandans believe that it is nothing less than God’s will that is happening. They don’t believe that the benovelent Americans who have been coming for years have been seeding anything other than love.

Embarrass them, call them to account. And make them twist the ear of the people this end. Yes, they can. It is matter of fact. There is no parsing of words there.

There are also the mainstream churches.

The Church of Uganda (Anglican) is extremely, violently homophobic. If you have been following the debate, you will remember that they were very, very supportive of the bill. Till international outcry from other churches made them rewind. And step back. And say, well, they don’t have an ‘official’ position. Double faced hypocrisy and a lie. But, it was a step back. And, it is the pressure from Canada, the mounting pressure from sister churches in England and the US that is checking their murderous Christian brothers and sisters in Uganda. I have no doubt about that. They support the bill. Whole heartedly. Just check out this nasty sermon from one of the Bishops. The Bishop of Karamoja.

But, that leaves out one major player.

The Catholic church in Uganda. They have kept a low profile. They have not commented about the bill. They give the impression that they support it (because of sermons and masses), but, they don’t have an official position. Not as yet.

Of course, the silence in itself says something, loud and clear.

I know that the Catholic church is homophobic. Matter of fact. I don’t have the patience to shade truths as I see them. And, of course the silence from them is telling.

But, they have one thing riding for me. They accept that there are certain human beings who happen to be homosexual. They accept the fact that we are not infectious, that we are not evil, that we are human beings, just like them. And, they then continue to put limits on our expression of our humanity.

But, that is not the point.

The Catholic church has a set doctrine about homosexuality which is in direct contradiction to the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. And, because they are a very centralized, thinking institution, they have a vulnerable point which I can exploit. No parsing words here.

I have no Catholic background. What I know is that, Catholicism has the biggest number of adherents of any ‘Christian’ faith in Uganda. And, they are pretty ‘obedient’. And, best of all, they have a central authority in the Vatican.

So, what can be done?

I have no doubt that, Ugandan Catholics, even the leadership, has zero acquitance with their theology about homosexuality. [few homophobes know much about homosexuality]. But, that is not true of the Vatican.

Can someone out there draw up point by point how the Anti-Homosexuality bill contravenes  the Catholic take on Homosexuality?

Can we start a letter writing campaign that targets the Catholic church? Show the points, and ask, why have they not spoken out against the bill?

I know, it is a huge institution, the Catholic Church. But, like all institutions that are based on morality, our strongest card is that they are acting IMMORALLY, by not coming out against the bill. Publicly and openly. Of course, they support it. Well, then let them come out and say so. They cannot. And, they will not.

So, like Rick Warren has been ridiculed and pressured in America, why don’t we start piling up the pressure on the Catholic church, from the parishes where we live, to the bishops, and, of course to the Vatican itself? If you are catholic, more power to you. You are just expressing your concern. If you are not Catholic, why, you respect the Catholic Church, and are wondering how come that venerable Bride of Christ has not come out against something which is inherently inhuman, cruel, and against the love of Christ like this genocidal bill.

A tiny fulcrum. But, with all of us together, we can move that world.

I cannot lead. I know too little about Catholicism. My internet access cant be as good as I want. Matter of fact, I will most likely be off for some few days to come.

Who can fact check the bill against official Catholic dogma?

Who volunteers to write a generic letter to their eminences and their Highnesses the Archbishops?

Who volunteers to get us the contacts, addresses right up to the Vatican?

Is there any Catholic Gay organization that can do all of this? Who can lead, so that we follow?

I know some of the questions. I don’t know the answers. I don’t begin to know the answers.

But, I know a fulcrum to move a world when I see one.

Who will help?

gug

PS. I got the idea from here, partly.

and, from the fact of the Cardinal who earned himself a slap on the hand for frank homophobic speech. But, idea is just an idea. We need it incubated, hatched, fed until like an overwhelming wave it engulfs the ?Curio itself

Who will do it?

Who will help?