Colombian Archbishop says it’s time for Catholic Church to ‘ask forgiveness’ from gay people, as Vatican brass reject wider acceptance
THE ARCHBISHOP OF Cali last week called on the Catholic Church to apologise to homosexuals for centuries of severe judgement, but a document that supported wider tolerance of gay people was rejected by Vatican bishops.
In an interview with Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, Archbishop Dario de Jesus Monsalve said that, “the Church must improve its relationship with the (homosexual) community” and should “be more welcoming, and ask forgiveness for the pain we have caused through hurtful and damaging judgements about their inclination.”
The Archbishop also said gay couples “express something constructive and positive as humans, which is affection,” according to the report.
His comment came as a Vatican proposal backed by Pope Francis to “accept and value” homosexuals failed to win the backing of two-thirds of the bishops at a synod in Rome, the BBC reported.
The final report says only that anti-gay discrimination is “to be avoided.”
Two other paragraphs suggesting divorced and remarried Catholics could receive communion also failed to pass.
The synod will meet again in a year’s time for further discussion, the BBC reported.