Over the past 50 years it has been
easy for the conservative self-righteous to insist on Church doctrine - the
infallibility of the Pope and to all times to support, follow, love and respect
him not matter what he asks of His flock.
But after today's Vatican announcement of mercy and love, will they
follow what they have preached?
Today, the Catholic bishops synod in
the Vatican, as reported by Nicole Winfield of the Associated Press, "a
seismic shift" by the Catholic Church toward gays after the conference of
bishops said homosexuals had gifts to offer the church and that their
partnerships, while morally problematic, provided homosexuals with
"precious" support.
In a preliminary report half-way
through a Vatican meeting on family life, the bishops also said the church must
recognize the "positive" aspects of civil unions and even Catholics
who cohabitate, with the aim of bringing them to a lifelong commitment in a
church wedding.
The report summarized the closed-door
debate that Pope Francis initiated to discuss a host of hot-button family
issues such as marriage, divorce, homosexuality and birth control. No decisions
were announced, but the tone of the report was one of almost-revolutionary
acceptance rather than condemnation, and it will guide discussions until a
final document is issued Saturday.
"For the LGBT Catholics in the
United States and around the world, this new document is a light in the
darkness - a dramatic new tone from a church hierarchy that has long denied the
very existence of committed and loving gay and lesbian partnerships," said
Chad Griffin, president of Human Rights Campaign, the biggest LGBT rights
organization in the U.S.
The Bishops clearly took into account
the views of the pope, whose "Who am I to judge?" comment about gays
signaled a new tone of welcome for the church. Their report also reflected the
views of ordinary Catholics who, in responses to Vatican questionnaires in the
run-up to the synod, rejected church teaching on birth control and
homosexuality as outdated and irrelevant.
The bishops said gays had `'gifts and
qualities" to offer and asked rhetorically if the church was ready to
provide them a welcoming place, "accepting and valuing their sexual
orientation without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and
matrimony."
"This is a stunning change in the
way the Catholic church speaks of gay people," said the Rev. James Martin,
a Jesuit priest and author. "The Synod is clearly listening to the
complex, real-life experiences of Catholics around the world, and seeking to
address them with mercy, as Jesus did."
The bishops repeated that gay marriage
was off the table. But it acknowledged that gay partnerships had merit.
"Without denying the moral
problems connected to homosexual unions, it has to be noted that there are
cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious
support in the life of the partners," they said.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director
of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic gay rights group said that though the report
repeats doctrine about gay marriage, "the move toward accepting and
valuing the gifts of gay and lesbian people is a major step forward."
Bishops also called for
"courageous" new ways to minister to families, especially those
"damaged" by divorce. The document didn't take sides in the most
divisive issue at the synod, whether Catholics who divorce and remarry without
an annulment can receive Communion.
Church teaching holds that without an
annulment, these Catholics are living in sin and thus ineligible to receive the
sacraments.
Pope Francis has called for a more
merciful approach to these couples, but conservatives have insisted there is no
getting around Jesus' words that marriage is indissoluble.
______________
Servants of the Father of Mercy
