American Cardinal Raymond Burke has accused the Vatican media team of releasing "manipulated" information that doesn’t reflect strong opposition. Conservative Catholic Bishops are pushing back against a proposed report which uses gentler rhetoric about ‘homosexuals’, which the Vatican says will be altered before being released in its final form. Earlier this year Pope Francis’ signalled a shift when he stated "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?" Now a widely-reported draft report, released partway through the Synod on the Family at the Vatican, says "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". It makes no mention of gay people living in sin or being ‘disordered’. Some commentators say it’s a dramatic shift, with Catholic gay rights group New Ways Ministry describing it as “a crack in the ice that we have been waiting for, for a very long time”. However conservative bishops are already trying to water down its significance, saying it’s only a working paper and was only supposed to reflect views that are up for debate. "The report, obviously composed under pressure, has easily given rise to some misinterpretation," British Cardinal Vincent Nichols says. "It is not a doctrinal or decisive document. It is, as stated in its conclusion, 'intended to raise questions and indicate perspectives that will have to be matured and made clearer on reflection.'" South African Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier says it doesn't reflect the opinion of the synod in its entirety. "My worry is that the message has gone out - and it's not a true message - that this synod has taken up these positions, and whatever we say hereafter is going to be as if we're doing some damage control, which is certainly not what is in my mind.” American Cardinal Raymond Burke has accused the Vatican media team of releasing "manipulated" information that doesn’t reflect strong opposition. A final document will be released after further debate. The Vatican says what was released was a work in progress, and it will change.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 15th October 2014 - 11:55am