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

TORREÓN, Mexico (LifeSiteNews) — 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.”

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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.

Vera López further encouraged Red Católica Arcoíris México to continue strengthening its work as a community of faith composed of people identifying as LGBT and their supporters. He said the group’s witness should contribute to what he described as a more open Church and a society marked by respect, unity, and inclusion.

The bishop’s remarks generated controversy in Mexico. After criticism emerged, Vera López published a statement on his Facebook account thanking those who expressed support for him, while lamenting what he described as criticism and slander directed against him because he considers himself “brother, pastor and friend” of those who identify as LGBT.

“Those who often condemn a person for their sexual inclinations are people who need not only education and updating, since they have remained in the tradition of the 2nd century, but also require a new heart as the prophet Ezekiel writes,” Vera López wrote in his Facebook post after reiterating his central claim that “homosexuality is not a sin.”

Delegates at the pro-LGBT meeting representing local groups from different regions of Mexico attended the gathering. Activities included workshops, meetings, the election of a new national leadership team for the organization, and a keynote address delivered by Jesuit Father James Martin via Zoom.

Vera López has long been associated with initiatives involving LGBT groups in the Mexican Catholic Church. In 2014, he baptized a 16‑month-old girl being raised by a lesbian couple. The event drew attention because of the bishop’s long-standing support for LGBT causes, including past affiliation with a group promoting the homosexual lifestyle.

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Furthermore, in 2011, Vera López headed two “human-rights” organizations that have signed multiple documents advocating the decriminalization of abortion. Although the bishop denied being “pro‑abortion,” his organizations have endorsed declarations supporting abortion access and opposing pro-life constitutional amendments.

In 2025, a lesbian Anglican minister, Emilie Teresa Smith, who is in a same-sex “marriage,” participated in a Mass in Saltillo, Mexico, alongside Vera López, appearing to “concelebrate” by whispering the words of consecration, elevating the chalice, reading the Gospel, giving a homily, and later receiving the Eucharist – many of which are forbidden by Catholic canon law for non-Catholics and laypersons. Vera López defended her presence, framing it as an act of ecumenism and inclusion.