Catholic Bishops in 'Seismic' Opening Toward Gays

VATICAN CITY — Oct 13, 2014, 2:27 PM ET
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press

Gay rights groups hailed a "seismic shift" by the Catholic Church toward gays on Monday after 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.

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http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/seismic-shift-in-rome-new-catholic-church-document-praises-committed-gay-an

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http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2014/10/13/vatican-document-value-gay-peoples-gifts-and-qualities