"Bishop says ‘homosexuality is not a sin’ at pro-LGBT conference"

"A Mexican Catholic bishop told a pro-LGBT gathering that homosexuality 'is not a sin' and declared that 'without the LGBT community, the Church is not complete.'

From July 30 to August 2, in Torreón, northern Mexico, the Fourth National Meeting of Red Católica Arcoíris México – a gathering of nearly 100 representatives from local pro-LGBT groups – took place. The opening Mass was celebrated at the local cathedral, where Bishop Luis Martín Barraza Beltrán of Torreón presided and Bishop Raúl Vera López, formerly of Saltillo, delivered the homily.

'The Church has a serious responsibility,' Vera López said during the homily. 'Homosexuality is not a sin. It is a thing of nature and not human perversion or disease.' He also insisted that Catholics who identify as LGBT 'have a right' to participate fully in ecclesial life and 'exercise leadership of the faith among us,' concluding: 'Without the LGBT community, the Church is not complete.'

The bishop also urged Catholic communities to receive people who identify as LGBT without exclusion and argued that their participation should not be viewed merely as an act of goodwill but as a moral obligation. He maintained that sexual orientation is an inherent aspect of the human person and rejected the idea that it should be considered a voluntary choice or a morally blameworthy condition."