- Stay Connected
Socialize
Pope Urges Church To Move Forward As Gay Controversy Overshadows Synod
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis on Monday urged the Catholic Church to “move forward” as a review of teaching on the family got under way amid unprecedented controversy over its attitude to homosexuality.
Saying the Church was “not a museum to keep or preserve”, the Argentinian pontiff urged clerics debating a series of thorny social and religious issues in a synod to do so in a spirit of “solidarity, courage and humility”.
“It (the synod) is a place where the holy people of God move forward,” he told the first working session of a three-week gathering that will pit conservatives and reformers against each other over issues including communion for remarried divorcees and cohabitation, as well as attitudes to gay believers.
The pope’s comments echoed his words on Sunday when he said the Church must have “its doors open to welcome all those who knock” and not “point the finger in judgement” of others.
At the same time, Francis also said traditional marriage between heterosexual couples should be defended — a view he reiterates frequently, not just because he needs to reassure conservative clerics.
“The emotional intensity of the synod is amped up because of perceptions that the pope’s position is still a work in progress,” Vatican watcher John Allen said, predicting a stormy synod.
“What’s new now is a sense, however exaggerated, that movement might actually be possible. That’s elicited strong passions both from those who see such movement as desirable, and those who view it as alarming.”
Adding to the sense of a wind of change blowing through Church corridors, a newly-founded global network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex Catholics on Monday published an appeal to synod members to find “new ways of celebrating the family.”
The Global Network of Rainbow Catholics, made up of believers from 30 countries, said it wanted to help Church decision-makers understand the issues surrounding sexual minorities “though we know from long experience how frightened many of you are of communicating with us…”
Posted by
Lamba boy
October 6, 2015 at 1:48 pm
uko lelo!
D1
October 6, 2015 at 4:55 pm
Catholics beware! Bible is straight on heterosexual relationships!
Man and Woman that’s not debatable!!
These are last days indeed,where the church decides whether to allow LGH or not
Karods
October 6, 2015 at 5:54 pm
Mwaumfwa thats why na ka party kaba winter is called Rainbow bcoz of ifya mungulu.pope is the servant of devil not God.
Kwati like so
October 6, 2015 at 8:39 pm
Ama church ya bufi,ati pope kutiwaseka let me laugh kikikiki
The Intellectual
October 6, 2015 at 9:40 pm
Lucifer’s church and the top anti christ.
ayanganaphi
October 6, 2015 at 10:07 pm
maybe da pope is also a gay.brethren,let,s follow da bible.let sin be sin.all those Who follow sin wil perish.
palace
October 7, 2015 at 12:04 am
Devils at work not in zambia
Nicolas DK
October 7, 2015 at 7:41 am
I rily think we ought 2b very careful bantu ba mulungu,the qtn z why z da pope stil bitin around da bush wen he can jx say dat there chrch aint allowin gays n da lyk……..we nid serious revival within us n let’s read da bible wit undastndin den wil c why 0 diz tigz r hapenin!!
Emmanuel Mwila king vubbwi
October 7, 2015 at 9:04 am
I think those who read the bible will not follow what the devil is saying God created a man and woman so that these they can came together and make one body.let him give as example if is not married should marry a guy also.
MO
October 7, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Its between a man and a woman period,the pope is better placed to tell gay stories and lesbians they kno it the day we came to know the world will hate a certain grouping ask your friend
katwish
October 8, 2015 at 1:37 am
I cant b suprised be cause i study the bible nd i knw the truth!!!! which stands nd stands foreva.Bt my appeal to my fellow christ’s agents,is that:let us help our brothers nd sisters who er weak in faith especially the catholic church membas.Let us work hand in hand to pull them out of this ditch of the beast.”as i raise ma hand in heaven,i comand nd rebuk this spirity of darkness to lose the chosen ones of God in Jesus’s name!!!!!”
Big Nose
October 8, 2015 at 2:44 pm
bushe aba ba pope If his father married to his fellow man or his mother married to a fellow women was he going to born if not then all those who follow his teaching are wrong and repentance