U.N. chief didn't call for societal exclusion of Christians who don’t support pedophiles

By: Praveen Kumar
August 17 2023

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What's the claim?

A post has circulated on Facebook and Instagram claiming that the U.N. chief said, "Christians Who Don't Accept MAPs Will Be Excluded From Society." The claim arises from an article by The People's Voice published on August 6, 2023. The People's Voice, formerly NewsPunch and YourNewsWire, is a website notorious for spreading misinformation and publishing fabricated stories. Archived posts can be found here, here, and here.

Several posts have cropped up on Facebook and Instagram. (Source: Facebook / Instagram / Altered by Logically Facts)

This story has been shared widely across social media, including the platform X (formerly Twitter). One iteration of this claim on X has garnered 4,12,000 views and 2,288 likes, while another has 1,30,300 views and 2,591 likes.

Various users have posted the claim on X. (Source: X / Altered by Logically Facts)

MAPs is an acronym for minor-attracted persons, a controversial term used to describe pedophiles, as covered in a previous fact-check by Logically Facts. However, the U.N. chief has not made such statements about MAPs or the consequences of not supporting them.

What's the truth?

The image in The People's Voice article is that of Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the U.N.'s independent expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The headline misidentifies him as the United Nations chief, a role that Antonio Guterres, the body's Secretary-General, holds. 

The People's Voice article carries a photo of Victor Madrigal-Borloz. (Source: Screenshot/thepeoplesvoice.tv/Altered by Logically Facts)

Madrigal-Borloz is a lecturer on law at Harvard Law School and has been the U.N. Independent Expert on Protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity since late 2017.

The article claims that the U.N.'s agenda in pushing LGBTQ+ ideology originates from a report published by the body that called "for the decriminalization of sex between adults and minors." However, this is false, as detailed by Logically Facts.

The People's Voice article cites a report presented by Madrigal-Borloz, as evidence the U.N. stated Christians should support MAPs to remain part of society. However, while Madrigal-Borloz did present a report at the 53rd Session of the Human Rights Council, held over June and July of 2023, the report does not contain any text supporting or suggesting acceptance of pedophiles or pedophilia. Madrigal-Borloz never mentioned the words MAPs or pedophilia in his presentation. In fact, the report sheds light on how the right to freedom of religion or belief can coexist peacefully with the rights of LGBTQ+ community to live free from violence and discrimination and includes recommendations on how to make it happen effectively. The report does not suggest any group of people should be discriminated against or excluded from participating in society if they don't accept legalizing pedophilia.

"I've never made that claim or that statement or anything that remotely could be construed as requiring people to accept pedophilia," Madrigal-Borloz told The Associated Press.

Logically Facts has contacted Madrigal-Borloz and the U.N.'s Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). This article will be updated on receival of a response.

The verdict

Neither the U.N. nor its independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity made any statements asking Christians to support pedophiles or be shunned from society. This claim originates from a website known for publishing fabricated stories, which has mischaracterized a presentation by a U.N. independent expert. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.