Synod bishops warn against expecting change towards gays

(ANSA) - Vatican City, October 14 - Some Catholic bishops lamented the lack of the word "sin" in a mid-term report from their two-week synod meetings and warned against reading too much into its call for a change in tone towards gays and divorced followers, according to a transcript released Tuesday by the Vatican.
    One day earlier, the report released midway through the synod on the family, involving some 190 bishops from around the world, said the Catholic Church and its leadership must learn to listen with compassion and greater respect for faithful who are divorced, co-habitating outside marriage, or gay.
    It put forward a shift in tone, especially on divorced people taking Communion and calling for a "serious reflection" on homosexuality, noting that Pope Francis has said that "homosexual persons have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community...often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home". However, the report also warned that gay unions are not the equivalent of marriage between a man and woman.
    Still, the comments were quickly cheered by some outside the synod as a possible opening by the Church leadership towards homosexuals and divorced Catholics.
    But don't expect too much, suggested the transcript of reactions by bishops to the document.
    "In general, the (report) was appreciated for...capturing the spirit of the assembly and highlighting acceptance and welcome as the principle theme of the works," said the summary released by the Vatican. "The document, it was said, reveals the Church's love for the family faithful to Christ, but also her capacity to be close to humanity in every moment of life, to understand that, behind the pastoral challenges, there are many people who suffer," the summary added.
    "In relation to homosexuals, moreover, the need for a welcome was highlighted, but with the right care, in order not to create the impression of a positive evaluation of this approach on the part of the Church. The same attention had been called for in respect of cohabitation," it said.
    The mid-term report, read aloud to the synod on Monday by Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, is not binding and is just part of a longer process that continues next year.
    But the language and call for greater openness in the synod report suggests that bishops are seeking new ways to deal with the issues concerning many Catholic families.
    It was also said to show the influence of Pope Francis, who has emphasized great compassion and less harsh judgment of individuals.
    Faced with divorced and remarried Catholics, bishops called for "courageous pastoral choices" and "new pastoral paths," according to the report, formally known as the 'relatio post disceptationem'. Meanwhile, the reaction summary released by the Vatican also suggested some bishops felt the report should have also included the "theme of women, their protection and their importance for the transmission of life and faith".
    Concerns were also raised that the report did not place enough emphasis on happy families, but instead focused attention too greatly on families in distress.
    "From the synod it emerged more clearly that indissoluble, happy marriage, faithful forever, is beautiful, possible and present in society, therefore avoiding a near-exclusive focus on imperfect family situations," said the reaction. Outside the synod, Bishop Domenicao Mogavero of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily told Italian newspaper La Stampa that society is moving towards greater acceptance of gay marriage, with the State respecting such unions.
    "And the Church must accept them and accompany them pastorally without marginalizing them with the label of people living in sin," he said.
    The second phase of the synod process will involve another major meeting in October 2015 with its theme being the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.
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