Catholic priests in the British army broke the trust of gay & lesbian personnel by informing on then and outing them to bosses in the 1990s.
Johnny Mercer, Minister for Defence, People and Veterans, has now apologised for what happened.
He said: ‘Our policy regarding LGB members in the military was unacceptable then, and as a defence minister, I personally apologise for those experiences.’
‘Pastoral encounters between service chaplains and personnel should be strictly confidential.’ Church of England chaplains working in the army were also accused of breaking confidences during the 90s.
The chaplains broke confidentiality of confession when they revealed private conversations they had with vulnerable people, campaigners said.
On Thursday, Mr Mercer also apologised to a group of veterans celebrating 20 years since the lifting of the ban on LGBT service personal. Mr mercer apologised for the harm caused by a ban on homosexuality.
The ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people serving in the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force was repealed on January 12, 2000.
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