Vatican Publishes ‘Emerging Issues’ Report On Engaging With The Gays
A Vatican report, released on Tuesday, aimed at creating a “paradigm shift” in how the Church talks about same-sex attraction, has sparked its own conversation about its direction regarding same-sex unions.
The report, published by the General Secretariat of the 2023 Synod on Synodality, was drafted by Study Group No. 9 — of the 10 study groups established by Pope Francis in February 2024 — to understand how to engage with “controversial” or “emerging issues.”
While not having been credited in drafting the report, Fr. James Martin, SJ, who has been accused by many church leaders of undermining the church’s teachings on same-sex attraction, played a large role in promoting the report and holds personal ties with one of the authors of its cited testimonies.
Although the report was supposed to cover the concern of dealing with controversial topics at large, the highlight of the 30-page final report was the testimonies of two openly gay “married” men, the first time such testimonies have been included in a report from the Vatican, the Religion News Service reported.
One of the men said that his “sexuality isn’t a perversion, disorder, or cross; it’s a gift from God. I have a happy, healthy marriage and am flourishing as an openly gay Catholic.” (Read more from “Vatican Publishes ‘Emerging Issues’ Report On Engaging With The Gays” HERE)
