Pope denounces anti-gay ‘persecution’ as recalling Nazi era

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has denounced anti-gay discrimination as reminiscent of Nazi-era persecutions and evidence of a “culture of hatred” that has re-emerged today.

Francis made the comments in a wide-ranging speech Friday to an international penal law association. He said some public officials speak about persecuted groups the same way Adolf Hitler referred to Jews in the 1930s.

He said: “These are actions that are typical of Nazism, that with its persecution of Jews, gypsies, people with homosexual orientation, represent an excellent model of the throwaway culture and culture of hatred.”

In the speech, Francis also denounced racially-based police brutality, the arbitrary use of preventive detention as well as the failure of legal systems to punish corporate crimes against the environment. He said such “ecocide” is a sin.