Cardinals and bishops summoned by Pope Francis to the Vatican to discuss the modern family have said that homosexuals should be welcomed into the Roman Catholic Church and that heterosexual civil unions have “positive” aspects. Without shifting on church doctrine, a document that was released Monday summing up views expressed halfway through a two-week synod offers a starkly different tone to the traditional Catholic take on gays and civil unions. Homosexuals, the document states, “have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community.” And the paper asks: “Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities?” The document cautions that “unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the same footing as matrimony between man and woman,” and highlights “the moral problems connected to homosexual unions.” But it adds that in gay relationships, “there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners.” Read more http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-vatican-gays-20141013-story.html
