Pope Francis at the Synod on the Family at the Vatican The Catholic Church has released a draft document using far more compassionate language about gay people. While not altering doctrine, the rhetoric in the proposed report from the Synod on the Family has softened. It declares "homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community". It says while same-sex unions can’t be considered the same as male-female marriages, church leaders should recognise the "positive aspects of civil unions and cohabitation". The document says the Church should challenge itself to find "a fraternal space" for gay people without compromising Catholic doctrine. It comes after a week of discussions at an assembly of 200 bishops. "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a further space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a church that offers them a welcoming home," it says. "Are our communities capable of proving that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?" Pope Francis has previously said the Church should be more compassionate and stated: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?"
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 14th October 2014 - 11:15am