Two Cardinals Picked By Pope Francis Support Gay-Friendly Book
Two cardinals appointed by Pope Francis, one of whom was tasked to serve as the Vatican's point man on family issues, have expressed support for a new book written by a Jesuit priest that urges the Catholic Church to be more compassionate and respectful to the gay community.
Cardinal Kevin Ferrell, who heads the Vatican Office on laity, family and life issues, joined Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin in praising the book titled "Building Bridges: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity," CBN News reported.
The book is written by the Rev. James Martin of America magazine. It reportedly neither supports calls for changes in Catholic doctrine nor touches on the topic of same-sex marriage.
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Ferrell said the book "will help bishops, priests, pastoral associates, and all church leaders [to] more compassionately minister to the LGBTQ community."
Tobin, who was picked by Pope Francis for the New Jersey archdiocese, said Martin's work will "help LGBT Catholics feel more at home in what is, after all, their church."
"In too many parts of our church LGBT people have been made to feel unwelcome, excluded, and even shamed," he said, adding that the book will remind gay Catholics "that they are as much a part of our church as any other Catholic."
The two cardinals called the book "much needed ... brave, prophetic, and inspiring."
The cardinals' expression of support to the LGBT community came just a month after gay sex orgies, porn and prostitution involving Roman Catholic priests reportedly sent "shock waves" throughout the Vatican.
The reports compelled Pope Francis to condemn the "temptations of lust" that are leading priests to sin.
The Rev. Mario D'Orlando of the city of Naples was suspended following allegations that he held gay orgies and recruited partners online for sex, while the Rev. Andrea Contin from Padua faced defrocking over claims that he had up to 30 lovers.
Last December, the Roman Catholic Church reaffirmed its longstanding ban on openly gay priests, stating that these people cannot be admitted to their seminaries.
"[T]he Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called 'gay culture,'" stated the new document titled "The Gift of the Priestly Vocation."
