Papal proposal on homosexuals rejected
Roman Catholic bishops have rejected a proposal by Pope Francis for wider acceptance of homosexuals.
More than 180 bishops from around the world gathered in Vatican City to vote on the draft paper on homosexuals and family issues.
The document failed to get the approval of two-thirds of the majority.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church proposed more openness toward gays, and remarried divorcees.
The draft was released on October 13 and was hailed by some church observers and gay advocates as “a stunning change” in how the Catholic hierarchy views homosexuals.
“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” read a part of the proposal which seemed to be Pope’s own pastoral phrase.
Pope Francis said after the vote that he would have had worries if the debate on the issue had not been vibrant, or if everyone had been in agreement in a “false and acquiescent peace.”
Conservatives and liberals at the Church remain split over the thorny issue of homosexuality.
Catholic gay rights groups have expressed disappointment in the vote.
Francis DeBernardo, the executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic gay rights group in the United States, said it was “very disappointing that the synod’s final report did not retain the gracious welcome to lesbian and gay people that the draft of the report included.”
“Instead, the bishops have taken a narrow view of pastoral care by defining it simply as opposition to marriage for same-gender couples,” he added.
The Roman Catholic Church has been hit by numerous scandals in the past few years, involving allegations of covering up the sexual abuse of children by priests to protect pedophiles and the reputation of church.
More than 4,000 priests in the United States have reportedly faced sexual abuse allegations since the 1950s in cases involving more than 10,000 children.
Pope Francis has warned that there will be “no privileges” for bishops when it comes to child sex offenders. The pontiff also promised more action in response to accusations of cover-ups and excessive leniency by the Vatican.
IA/HSN