Catholic bishops take first step toward acceptance of gays in church
OCTOBER 13, 2014, 12:57 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014, 9:59 PM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Reformers praised it as a monumental shift in Catholic Church thinking, while some conservatives labeled it heresy. But a deepening debate Monday over a Vatican report that could lead to greater acceptance of gay people in the church, among other major changes, might be greeted in North Jersey as a much-needed and long-overdue discussion.
“Most clergy would be relieved that they are discussing it,” predicted The Rev. Monsignor Raymond J. Kupke, who teaches church history at Seton Hall University’s seminary. “In the trenches, we are faced with how to include people in the life of the church.”
A committee of bishops at a Vatican synod, called by Pope Francis to examine family-related issues, presented a preliminary report Monday that included a declaration that gay people have gifts to offer the church and that their relationships, while morally problematic, have some merit. The report also discussed changing attitudes toward divorced people and unmarried couples who live together.
It seemed to go far beyond comments Pope Francis made about gay people last year, when he famously said “Who am I to judge?” Bishops said in the report, widely considered to reflect the Pope’s thinking, that gay relationships, while remaining in conflict with church doctrine, provide “a precious support in the life of the partners.”
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