Vatican: LGBT Catholics Find Little Encouragement in Family Synod Document

The “working document,” released that will guide discussion at this fall’s Vatican synod on the family doesn’t reflect a lot of outreach to LGBT people — and LGBT Catholic groups are objecting.

The portions of the paper dealing with LGBT issues “hardly reflect the rich discussions which have taken place, internationally and at all levels in the Church, on the welcome, respect, and value which should be afforded to lesbian and gay people in the Catholic community,” says a press release from the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, a coalition of LGBT-supportive groups.

The coalition also denounces the document’s “unfounded statement” that international organizations are threatening poor countries with a loss of financial aid if they do not adopt marriage equality. The church should instead condemn countries that criminalize LGBT identity, with punishments including torture and the death penalty, the group said in its release. Read More

Pope Francis Speaks Up on Synod Process: ‘It Isn’t Over’

Pope Francis held an in-flight press conference on his way back to Rome in which he opened up about the debate surrounding last month’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. When asked about the synod’s controversial phrasing regarding persons with homosexual orientation: 

“The synod is a path; it is a journey, firstly. Secondly, the synod is not a parliament. It’s a protected space in which the Holy Spirit may speak,” the Holy Father told journalists. Read More 

Conservative Cardinal Who Clashed With Pope Francis Confirms He Has Been Ousted

A top cardinal told BuzzFeed News that the worldwide meeting of church leaders coming to a close in Rome seemed to have been designed to “weaken the church’s teaching and practice” with the apparent blessing of Pope Francis. 

Internal discontent among conservatives inside church leadership began to simmer over in the weeks leading up to the synod. In an apparent attempt to mollify anglophone conservatives, the Vatican released a new translation of the report that changed the phrase “welcoming homosexual persons” to “providing for homosexual persons” and made other small changes, while leaving the versions in all other languages unchanged. Read More

Church should not fear change, pope says at synod close

Pope Francis has closed an assembly of Catholic bishops that revealed deep divisions on how to respond to homosexuality and divorce, saying on Sunday the Church should not be afraid of change and new challenges.

The working session of the gathering ended on Saturday night with a final document that reversed a historic acceptance of gays by the Church made just a week earlier -- a result some progressives see as a setback for Francis. Read More