October 20, 2014 | Sex & Society

Catholic Bishops talking about the gays

Gay rights groups are disappointed after Catholic bishops rejected proposals for wider acceptance of gay people which had been backed by Pope Francis.

This past week, over 200 bishops from around the world met at the Vatican to discuss the Church's stance on key social issues. A discussion paper, which had the Pope's backing, had asked:

Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community ... Are our communities capable of this, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?

But the final report did not approve a more liberal stance toward gay people. While disappointing, it is definitlely a good sign that at least the Catholic higher-ups are talking about these issues. There will be another meeting next year after which the Pope will decide on how Catholic doctrine will change.

And we know the Pope's on our side!