Gay Issues Dominate Discussions On Synod On Families

Gay issues ranging from holiday visits by homosexual children to allowing children of same-sex parents to receive the sacraments dominated a lot of discussions in the ongoing two-week Synod of Families.
The Washington Post reports that gay issues competed with other family issues such as Communion for divorced and remarried Catholic couples.
Australian couple Ron and Mavis Pirola, who are delegates to the synod and parents of four children, shared that while they believed in church teachings and aware of the possibility that their other grandkids would see them welcome a gay son and his partner for the Christmas holidays, what prevailed over them is the fact that he is their son regardless of his sexual preference.
However, American Cardinal Raymond Burke insisted that the younger children should be protected from being exposed to same-sex relationships which he insisted is evil.
He stressed, quoted by The Washington Post, "If it were another kind of relationship - something that was profoundly disordered and harmful - we wouldn't expose our children to that relationship, to the direct experience of it."
The cardinal added, "And neither should we do it in the context of a family member who not only suffers from same-sex attraction, but who has chosen to live out that attraction, to act upon it, committing acts which are always and everywhere wrong, evil."
But Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive director of DignityUSA, pointed out that the "love the sinner, hate the sin" approach won't work because it is not property is dealing with gay people. She accused the discussion by the synod of offering the sacraments to children of gay or lesbian couples as a political weapon, which happens with baptisms, weddings and funerals.
On Friday, the synod entered its second phase as the delegates form small groups that will reach decisions and synthesised into the synod's relation that will form the basis for discussion in the ordinary synod of the family in 2015.
According to Cardinal Franchesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, "The documents will include a part on the divorced and remarried, gay couples, and also part of the discussions raised on the possibility of reforming the process of declarations of nullity."
He added that it would form part of a wider part of the church teachings on the family and positive examples to emulate.
YouTube/ROME REPORTS in English