A Portuguese association supporting homosexual Catholics has applauded the Pope’s unprecedented move to seek the views of Catholics around the world on issues such as divorce, gay marriage and contraception.
‘Rumos Novos’ praised the Vatican’s “unprecedented” decision to conduct a questionnaire aimed at bishops, religious orders and interested Catholic groups on issues such as marriage and family, including gay marriage and adoption.
The results of the survey will serve as a base for discussion during the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on family to be held from October 5 to 19, 2014. Entitled “Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation”, the synod was convoked by Pope Francis.
The consultation will take a look at how effective pastoral programmes have been at promoting church teaching in modern societies on subjects such as sexuality, marriage and family life.
In a statement sent to Lusa news agency, ‘Rumos Novos’ association said that it is with “a heart filled with joy” that the gay community receives this news.
“As Catholics, we have to praise the Pope’s decision as it is the first time the Vatican requested such an assessment. We praise the Vatican’s open and honest approach to issues such as gay marriage and gay adoption,” said the association, which is encouraging the Catholic gay community to take this opportunity to make themselves heard about the importance of promoting the “inclusion of homosexuals” in the Church.
