Alfredo Ormando, 40, set himself alight then rushed toward the entrance to the basilica, collapsing before he got to the door. Documents found in his nearby coat said he was protesting society's and his family's failure to understand homosexuals.

In a statement announcing Ormando's death, the national gay group said: "Arcigay pays homage to the new hero of the struggle for liberation and for the civil rights of homosexuals. The Roman Catholic Church should beg forgiveness for the sufferings inflicted on homosexuals."

The group proposed that January 13 be marked as the "international anniversary of the fight against discrimination against gays and lesbians for religious motives."

The Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals per se but it insists that any sex act that is not open to the possibility of procreation is a "mortal sin" that leads to Hell.

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT WILL PARDON JAILED GAYS

In an historic meeting with foreign gay activists January 15, Romanian president Emil Constantinescu agreed to pardon all gays and lesbians jailed under the nation's anti-gay laws.

During the hour-long session at Bucharest's Presidential Palace, Constantinescu was briefed on the status of Romanian homosexuals by Scott Long, advocacy coordinator of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and Jeri Laber, senior adviser to Human Rights Watch.

They gave him a copy of their report "Public Scandals: Sexual Orientation and the Law in Romania," which details "systematic abuses of the basic human rights of Romanian sexual minorities."

Constantinescu said the pardons will send a message to the public that "homosexuality is the last remaining human rights problem we have to address in Romania, and we will address it."

IGLHRC's Long said he was "very encouraged by the president's response but we will have to wait and see how the decision is implemented. ... Pardons are not equivalent to a repeal of the discriminatory laws," he noted. "We call on the Romanian Parliament to follow the president's lead and put an end to the abuse."

Long said neither Constantinescu nor the Ministry of Justice has a list of prisoners convicted under Penal Code Article 200, paragraphs 1 and 5 -- and by law, prisoners will have to individually petition the president for a pardon to initiate the process.

Long and Laber also met with Romania's prime minister, justice minister, general inspector of police, and director of penitentiaries, and with members of the Senate human rights and judiciary committees.

Article 200 bans gay sex that "provokes a public scandal" including sex in private that somehow upsets a third party. It also bans gay organizations and most everything else gay. It is an offense punishable by one to five years imprisonment "to entice or seduce a person to practice same-sex acts, as well as to form propaganda associations, or to engage in other forms of proselytizing with the same aim."