A Catholic bishop in Mexico is facing widespread criticism after making a series of remarks at a national gathering of pro-LGBT Catholic groups, including the assertion that “Homosexuality is not a sin” and that “Without the LGBT community, the Church is not complete.”
According to LifeSiteNews, the comments were made during the Fourth National Meeting of Red Católica Arcoíris México, held July 30 through August 2 in Torreón, Mexico. The event brought together nearly 100 representatives from local pro-LGBT organizations and included workshops, leadership elections, and presentations focused on outreach and inclusion.
The gathering opened with a Mass at the Cathedral of Torreón. Bishop Luis Martín Barraza Beltrán of Torreón presided over the liturgy, while Bishop Raúl Vera López, the retired Bishop of Saltillo, delivered the homily.
During his address, Vera López said, “The Church has a serious responsibility. Homosexuality is not a sin. It is a thing of nature and not human perversion or disease.”
According to LifeSiteNews, the retired bishop also argued that Catholics who identify as LGBT “have a right” to participate fully in the life of the Church and should be able to “exercise leadership of the faith among us.” He concluded with the statement, “Without the LGBT community, the Church is not complete.”
The bishop further urged Catholic communities to welcome people who identify as LGBT without exclusion. According to LifeSiteNews, he described such inclusion not merely as an act of kindness but as a moral obligation, maintaining that sexual orientation is an inherent aspect of the human person rather than a voluntary choice.
Following public criticism, Vera López published a statement on Facebook defending his remarks. According to LifeSiteNews, he thanked supporters while expressing disappointment over what he described as criticism and slander directed toward him because he considers himself a “brother, pastor and friend” of those who identify as LGBT.
In the same statement, he reiterated his earlier position, again stating that “homosexuality is not a sin.” He also criticized those who condemn people based on their sexual inclinations, writing, “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.”
According to LifeSiteNews, the conference also featured a keynote address delivered remotely by Jesuit Father James Martin via Zoom. Participants represented pro-LGBT Catholic groups from across Mexico.
The publication also noted that Vera López has been associated with LGBT-related initiatives for many years. Among the events highlighted were his 2014 baptism of a child being raised by a lesbian couple and his defense of the participation of a lesbian Anglican minister in a 2025 Mass in Saltillo, where the minister reportedly appeared to perform actions reserved for ordained Catholic clergy.
LifeSiteNews further reported that in 2011, Vera López led two human-rights organizations that endorsed declarations supporting the decriminalization of abortion while opposing pro-life constitutional amendments, although the bishop denied being “pro-abortion.”
The Catholic Church teaches that every person possesses inherent dignity and must be treated with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity.” At the same time, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered” and “under no circumstances can they be approved” (CCC 2357-2358).
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