Caribbean Churches invited to Conference about Anti-Buggery Laws

Caribbean church leaders are invited to attend a conference series about the anti-buggery laws to be held in Barbados next year.

The Intimate Conviction conference series is being organized because of “the heightened and sometimes hostile anti-LGBT rhetoric that is being generated by some religious leaders across the Caribbean, which is in response to current and impending challenges to regional anti-sodomy laws.” 

A release from the organizers said, “As people of faith we believe that Christians should show the world how to respectfully disagree.  We are therefore troubled that some of the language being used by clerics who oppose decriminalization will incite violence against LGBT people.

“As such, we are urging all Caribbean bishops, pastors and priests to exercise restraint, even if they express their opposition to ending laws that criminalize consensual same-sex intimacy.”
The Intimate Conviction conference, which will be held from April 24 to 26, 2020 in Barbados is open to the public.

“This global dialogue will continue to examine the role of churches in anti-sodomy laws that started with the first conference in Jamaica in 2017.  Any Christian leader from any denomination who wishes to make a presentation at this conference, which will be free and open to the public, is also invited to write to mtomlinson@aidslaw.ca expressing their interest by November 22, 2019. We have a limited budget and can pay for some presenters to join us from outside of Barbados. So, we welcome robust and respectful regional deliberations on this matter,” the release said.

“As Caribbean Christians we pray that this public dialogue will help our region to achieve greater harmony and understanding and in the meantime, we urge careful and critical discussions of this very topical issue by all stakeholders.”

Interested persons may contact:  

Very Rev. Fr. Sean Major-Campbell
Chair, Intimate Conviction Conference Series
seanmajorcampbell@yahoo.com
 
Fr. Clifford Hall
Host Pastor, Intimate Conviction Conference, Barbados
guthlac@hotmail.com
 
Maurice Tomlinson
Coordinator, Intimate Conviction Conference Series
mtomlinson@aidslaw.ca