Ugandan 'Kill the Gays' Bill Lawmaker Rebecca Kadaga Receives Blessing from the Pope

Ugandan parliamentary speaker, who has said she wants to pass the "kill the gays" bill as a "Christmas gift" to Ugandans, received a blessing from the Pope at the Vatican.

Said Kadaga to Reuters last month: "Ugandans want that law as a Christmas gift. They have asked for it and we'll give them that gift."

Uganda's New Vision reports:

Kadaga who led a delegation of Ugandan legislators to the Vatican expressed delight at meeting the Pope and visiting St Peter’s Basilicca.

“I think this is a moment that cannot be repeated. We have been reading about him, hearing stories about St.Peter’s Basilica but now we are here physically. I think it is something that I will remember all my life. It’s a very great moment and I thank God for this opportunity,” she said minutes after meeting the Pope.

Ironically, a Ugandan delegation had traveled to Rome for the 7th Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court and the World Parliamentary Conference on Human Rights.

The Vatican mass they attended was the one in which the Pope sent his first tweet.

Ugandan Speaker Wants 'Kill the Gays' Bill Passed by Tuesday

Rebecca Kadaga, the Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, has requested that the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee bring the "kill the gays" bill to the floor imminently, the Monitor reports:

In her November 13 letter, the Speaker advised Mr Tashobya to be mindful of what she said was the high demand by the public to address homosexuality.

“I write to reiterate my earlier instruction to your committee to expeditiously handle the review of the report on the Bill. As you are aware, there is high demand by the population to address the escalating problem of promoting and recruiting minors into homosexuality,” the letter reads in part.

“This is therefore to inform you that I shall place the Bill on the Order Paper immediately after conclusion of the Oil Bills,” she wrote. Parliament is concluding consideration of the Petroleum (Exploration, Production and Development) Bill as the House breaks off for Christmas recess on December 15, which suggests that after the Bill is hopefully completed by next Tuesday, MPs can expect to debate and probably pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

Kadaga was greeted with a "hero's welcome" at Entebbe airport last week for affirming Uganda's position against homosexuality at the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Canada. Christian clerics asked Kadaga at a subsequent meeting in the Ugandan capital to pass the law as "a Christmas gift."

More on the contents of the bill at Box Turtle Bulletin.

Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill May Be Passed This Year as 'Christmas Gift' to Christian Clerics: VIDEO

Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill may see passage before the end of the year, the AP reports:

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga told The Associated Press that the bill, which originally mandated death for some gay acts, will become law this year.

Ugandans "are demanding it," she said, reiterating a promise she made before a meeting on Friday of anti-gay activists who spoke of "the serious threat" posed by homosexuals to Uganda's children. Some Christian clerics at the meeting in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, asked the speaker to pass the law as "a Christmas gift."

"Speaker, we cannot sit back while such (a) destructive phenomenon is taking place in our nation," the activists said in a petition. "We therefore, as responsible citizens, feel duty-bound to bring this matter to your attention as the leader of Parliament ... so that lawmakers can do something to quickly address the deteriorating situation in our nation."

Kadaga was greeted with a "hero's welcome" at Entebbe airport last week for affirming Uganda's position against homosexuality at the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Canada.

Watch an NTV report on Kadaga and the renewed interest in the bill, AFTER THE JUMP...