Catholic Bishops Advise Acceptance of Gays
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NEW YORK — U.S. Catholic bishops are advising parents of gay children to put love and support for their sons and daughters before church doctrine that condemns homosexual activity.
In a groundbreaking pastoral letter, the bishops say that homosexual orientation is not freely chosen and that parents must not reject their gay children in a society full of rejection and discrimination.
The document, titled “Always Our Children,” was approved by the administrative board of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops early in September and released Tuesday.
“God loves every person as a unique individual,” the bishops said. “God does not love someone any less simply because he or she is homosexual.”
The bishops also encourage priests to welcome homosexuals into parishes and to help establish or promote support groups for parents of gay children.
In the last 20 years, with almost every other church struggling over gay ordination or efforts to ease condemnatory church doctrine, the Roman Catholic Church has stood firm, teaching that homosexual activity is morally wrong.
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