More than 370 figures from the world’s major religions have signed the statement, which also calls for an end to violence against and criminalization of LGBT + people, according to a press release published Wednesday.
The statement marks the launch of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT + Lives, backed by key figures from 35 countries, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Chief Rabbi of Ireland David Rosen and former Irish President Mary McAleese.
So-called conversion therapies, also known as reparative treatments, are based on the assumption that sexual orientation can be changed or “cured” – an idea that is being discredited by major medical associations in the UK, US and elsewhere.
However, they remain legal in many countries, including the UK, despite the country’s current government committing to end the practice.
In July 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that he would accelerate these plans, and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funded an online conference to mark the launch of the committee on Wednesday.
Jayne Ozanne, director of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT + Lives, said the statement is a milestone.
“We have never had such a strong, clear and supportive statement from so many leaders,” Ozanne told CNN.
She called on politicians to ban conversion therapy.
“I don’t think any government can be deaf to the screams of survivors,” she said, adding that people are still traumatized as politicians err.
“We have to act urgently,” Ozanne said.
Campaigners also released a video of the statement, featuring prominent religious leaders such as right-wing Reverend Paul Bayes, the Bishop of Liverpool.
“Religious teachings have been misused – and continue to be misused – for too long to cause profound pain and insult to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex,” Bayes said in the release.
The committee “aims to provide a strong and authoritative voice among those who wish to affirm the sanctity of life and the dignity of all,” he added.
The statement asks for forgiveness for the damage that some religious teachings have caused LGBT + people and calls on everyone to “celebrate inclusivity and the extraordinary gift of our diversity.”
Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth, daughter of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah, was one of the speakers at Wednesday’s conference.
“There are many LGBT + people who are emotionally hurt and suffer physical violence in countries around the world,” she said in the press release. “For this reason, we join forces as leaders of faith to say that we are all beloved children of God.”
Malta – a small island nation in the Mediterranean with a population of just over 400,000 – made history by enacting a nationwide ban on conversion therapy in 2016.
And in May, the German parliament passed a ban on conversion therapies for minors and for adults who were forced, threatened or defrauded to undergo the controversial treatment.
However, in April, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and the Independent Forensic Expert Group (IFEG) said conversion therapies are still in use in more than 69 countries.
The organizations called for a worldwide ban on the practice, which they classify as a form of torture.
In June, the United Nations independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, also called for a worldwide ban on the practice.
CNN’s Rob Picheta contributed to this report.