Pope Francis needs his gay priests

To the shock of many of us LGBTQ people of faith is the Vatican’s recent decision in the document “The Gift of Priestly Vocation,” to ban gays to the priesthood; thus, reaffirming its 2005 stance. Those of us who have “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” or who “support the so-called ‘gay culture’” are categorically denied to serve one of the church’s…

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Pope Francis relaxes rules on divorce but will not support gay marriage

Pope Francis on Friday called for a Church that was less strict and more compassionate towards “imperfect” Catholics, such as those who divorced and remarried, saying “no one can be condemned forever”, reported Reuters. However the Pope also reaffirmed that the church would not support gay marriage. Francis said gays should be respected but firmly…

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National LGBTQ Task Force condemns the Pope’s meeting with Kim Davis

The National LGBTQ Task Force has condemned Pope Francis’ meeting with Kim Davis — the Kentucky government official who discriminated against same-sex couples and ignored a Supreme Court Order to follow the law. In a statement issued Wednesday, Russell Roybal, deputy executive director of the Task Force said, “The Pope’s meeting with Kim Davis breathes…

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Vatican ‘takes offense’ over Obama’s guest list for papal visit

Ahead of next week’s visit of the Pope to Washington, the Vatican has “taken offense” at a decision by the Obama administration to invite former Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to hold that position; an activist nun, Sister Simone Campbell, who is executive director of Network, a self-described “Catholic social justice lobby”;…

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New survey shows U.S. Catholics open to non-traditional families

When Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families later this month, he will find a Catholic public that is remarkably accepting of a variety of non-traditional families, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that provides an in-depth look at American Catholics’ views on family life, sexuality and Catholic…

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Nearly half a million Catholics urge Pope to condemn gay unions

Nearly half a million Catholics have signed a petition urging Pope Francis to condemn same-sex unions as unnatural and rule out allowing divorced believers who remarry to receive communion, organizers claim, reports The Manila Times. The petition, The Filial Appeal on the Future of the Family, was launched by a group describing itself as an…

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Pope Francis: Children need heterosexual parents

In contrast to Rome’s well-attended LGBT pride festival last weekend, and support of same-sex civil unions by Italy’s Lower House of Parliament, the Pope Sunday stressed the importance of children having heterosexual parents. Addressing around 25,000 followers from the diocese of Rome, the pope said the differences between men and women are fundamental and “an…

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