LGBT News Vatican sends "modern family" survey for Catholics, includes gay marriage

Francis already said "Who am I to judge ... " in a statement around the time he went to Brazil. I think he is more open minded than most other top brass types in the Catholic church, but there are still many, albeit younger, who are in the mold of Ratzinger.

American parishes are all over the map, as you know - from uber-conservative to uber-liberal, with most being somewhere in between. Frankly, I don't know how the Catholic church will reconcile the 21st Century with its archaic beliefs on many topics.

 

As a Catholic, this makes me very happy

 

I would fall into both of those groups :lol:.

It's great that things appear to at least be moving in the right direction. "No longer being completely awful" isn't praiseworthy though.
Whether it is satisfying... eehh. I know things can't change instantly but I'm still not going to be satisfied until they have changed.

 

Change takes a long time in the Catholic church my friends. It took men going to the moon before the Vatican would admit that the earth is round. The Church may not fully accept gay people in our lifetimes.

 

bgg:

I think that some congregations or parishes will accept GLBTQs as part of their flocks; however, I don't ever think the RCC headquarters will change its tune that anything other than heterosexual living, or celibacy and abstention, are the only acceptable ways to go. So, they'll welcome you to church, because it's a "hospital for sinners," but, at the same time, GLBTQs will always be sinners of the more egregious variety, as you say, in our lifetimes.

Within the Ratzinger era, I believe the RCC said homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered." It could have been said prior to Ratzinger. Either way, those are powerful and pungent words. Then, they have other write-ups which say that GLBTs should be treated with compassion and sensitivity, and thus be accepted. Isn't that nice ... and condescending at the very same time?

 

After centuries of Popes I haven't liked, I am finally starting to warm up to this one. He may not be officially saying "gays go get married" but he's still saying more than any other has.

 

This was a nice thing to see this morning. I think changing the thinking of such a large denomination will take a lot of time and careful maneuvering. I think Francis is moving as quickly as possible with the way things are today. A lot of predominately Catholic countries are less tolerant than the US is, and he has to be cautious about that. I do think he's taking major strides, though.

 

This is a misconception ... to some extent. Same sex marriage arrived in Spain in 2005, and Spain has a very Catholic history. It made it to Portugal and France, too. It's even in Argentina, the Pope's home country. Most Catholic countries, for some reason those in warm weather climates, are more tolerant than the US when it comes to sexuality. Their approach: they just shrug and don't care. Some people in these countries are upset at the same sex marriage situation because it defies tradition, hence the protests in Paris, but these countries have typically never been difficult from homosexuals to live in, and I'm talking Italy, Brazil, and Greece, among others. They just don't care, and the Greek Orthodox are similar to Catholics, but even more conservative. In fact, look at all the nude beaches in Greece that cater to tourists, and are far from tame. Practically every Greek island with any kind of tourism has one, or two, or three. And Brazil is just an insane party, with 14% of the population of Rio being GLBT. Yeah, the conservative Catholic Brazilians in the city probably don't like it, but they know it's not going away and they don't do anything about it. The crime problem there is a much bigger fish to fry than the sexuality issue.

Now, if you're talking the Philippines, or Bolivia, or Iraq (which has a minor Christian segment), then your statement makes sense. However, it's the Protestant belts in the Midwest and the South that would be harder for GLBTs to live without hassles than modern, predominately Catholic countries in Europe or South America.

 

I was referring to the less tolerant ones. Of course, progress is happening everywhere, but places like the ones you mentioned and some African countries that have large Catholic populations still have laws forbidding homosexuality.

 

True. I forgot Catholic African countries, and the emergence of by-the-book Catholicism there.

 

And what are the choices you can tick?

"What pastoral attention can be given to people who live in these types of [same-sex] union?"

A. Recite the Bible to convince them that their unions are an abomination.

B. Give them brochures for ex-gay "clinics."

C. Kill 'em!

???

 

:rolle: