LGBTTQ+ Catholic saddened that Church unwilling to talk openly at synod about greater acceptance of people in same-sex relationships

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Like many gay Canadian Catholics, “Steven” — not his real name — was disappointed to learn a fuller acceptance of same-sex relationships would not be on the agenda during the Roman Catholic Church’s synod of bishops this month.

The topic was originally set to be explored during this month’s Synod on Synodality in Rome, after worldwide consultation with Catholics three years ago.

But fearing it might cause disunity in the synod, and the wider church, the topic was shunted off to a study group designed to explore “controversial” topics such as LGBTTQ+ welcome and affirmation.

“I suppose we who are in the queer community should feel relief that the question of greater acceptance of our community has not been totally discarded,” said Steven, a closeted pastoral worker at a Catholic church in Canada. He asked not to say where for fear of being fired.

But the reluctance of the church to deal openly with the question of greater acceptance of LGBTTQ+ Catholics is something that saddens him.

Read Steven’s story in the Free Press, along with a sidebar about a decision to halt discussion about the role of women in the Catholic Church at the synod.

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