This probably deserves a longer post, but in case I don’t get that written quickly, I wanted to highlight a bit of text from the Pope’s most recent address, especially in light of the fact that at least one of the perpetrators in the recent bias attack against gay men in Philadelphia was associated with the Catholic Church. Here is a quote from the Pope:

“Let no one consider themselves to be the ‘armor’ of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression!” the pope said. “May no one use religion as a pretext for actions against human dignity and against the fundamental rights of every man and woman, above all, the right to life and the right of everyone to religious freedom!”

These comments may have been made directly related to the issue if ISIS and muslim extremists, but the same must hold true for any who use religion as a pretext for violence against others. Including violent attacks based on gender expression, identity or sexual orientation.

via Pope Francis: You Can’t Use Religion To Justify Violence | ThinkProgress.