The letter (see attached) has been sent  to Pope Benedict XVI asking for true respect of the human rights and the personal integrity of LGBT people. It appeals  to the Pope for a clear statement against homophobic violence and any pressure by religious authorities to undergo „reparative therapy“, often causing harmful psychological damage. In this letter the Catholic Church is called on to grant LGBT people the same fundamental right to get involved in a relationship with a beloved other without being afraid of negative consequences from church hierarchies.

The European Forum represents 44 Christian LGBT member groups from 23 European countries. Originally initiated by the Polish group „Faith and Rainbow“ the letter was approved by the Forum’s Annual General Meeting in early May. It indicates a new atmosphere within the Catholic church, where fear and desperation of LGBT people are replaced by courage and the demand for open dialogue.

Speaking on behalf of the Cutting Edge Consortium at the Rome Forum Martin Pendergast said "rather than defining LGBT Catholics, their parents and families, as persons with problems to be solved, we hope that the Church will recognise the contributions and gifts they bring to the building up of the Body of Christ, the rich catholicity of the People of God .Being proudly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered, and proudly Catholic is at the heart of the community of faith."

The letter is presented to the public today at the conference „"LGBT people and Christian churches in Europe: fears and opportunities for a full acceptance and inclusion", which is part of a program of events on Faith and Homosexuality that for the first time is included in the Europride 2011 that will take place in Rome from june 1^st to 12th. The conference is organized by the Italian member group „Nuova Proposta“ in cooperation with the European Forum. One of the speakers at the event  is John McNeill, one of the founding fathers of gay theology, who was excluded from the Jesuit order because of his homosexuality.