Vatican in change? Catholic bishops move to welcome homosexuals as they have 'gifts and qualities to offer'

The Vatican has called for Catholic Church to welcome gays.

13:51 14 October 2014

On Monday, Catholic bishops took an unprecedented step to welcome homosexuals to the Catholic church.

In their midterm document which summarises the closed-door debate that was participated in by about 200 bishops and lay officials, the bishops said that homosexuals have “gifts and qualities” to offer the church.

"Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing them a fraternal space in our communities?" the document asked. "Often they wish to encounter a church that offers them a welcoming home.

"Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?"

However, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said that the document isn’t about the approval of same sex marriage. "I don't think this document approves of same sex unions or same sex marriage. But it does make a very strong compassionate, heartfelt effort to say we want to talk, we want to engage with you," he said.

Marianne Duddy-Burke, head of DignityUSA, the country's largest Catholic gay and lesbian organisation, was surprised in the change of tone. She said: "The specific language used about lesbian and gay people is astonishingly new. The recognition that 'homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community' is a far different starting point than saying we are 'disordered', which has been the mantra for almost 30 years."