Is the Catholic Church ‘Evolving’ on Gay Marriage?

[rug]

Christopher J. Hale
Sept. 8, 2014

Last week New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan gave his okay to the St. Patrick Day Parade Committee’s decision to allow a gay group to march in the 2015 parade under their own banner. This was a remarkable shift from one of Dolan’s predecessors Cardinal John O’Connor who in 1993 declared that to allow a gay group to march in the parade would be a slander to the Apostle’s Creed.

This closes a remarkable summer in which a number of high-ranking Catholic prelates have signaled that Pope Francis’s more open posture on gay issues has permeated through the Catholic world. In May, a top-ranking Italian bishop said that the Church should be more open to arguments in support of same-sex marriage. And just a few weeks ago, one of Pope Francis’s closest friends Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes said in an interview that he “didn’t know” whether Jesus would oppose gay marriage.

All of this comes as the Catholic Church prepares for October’s Synod on the Family. This blockbuster event will bring bishops from around the world to Rome to discuss among other things, how the Church should change its pastoral practices towards those in same-sex relationships.

All this begs the question: is the Catholic Church “evolving” on gay marriage? Of course, it should be noted from the beginning that this possible evolution is unlikely to become a revolution. Don’t expect Pope Francis to come out in support of gay marriage anytime soon. His “evolution” on this issue will not look like that of President Barack Obama.

http://time.com/3303851/is-the-catholic-church-evolving-on-gay-marriage/

[Goblinmonger]

1. No.

[okasha]

2. I think Francis is turning out to be

unexpectedly skilled in the quiet application of the jawbone.

[beam me up scottie]

3. No.

Their brilliant new PR spokesman Pope Photo Op wants everyone to think so but nothing's changed.

Reminds me of the BP commercials telling us how much they love and protect the earth.

[rug]

4. If you have something intelligent to say, post it here.

"Pope Photo Op" is not that.

I'll assume you don't realize where you're posting this.

[beam me up scottie]

5. Post something intelligent first and then stick around to defend it.

Methinks the R/T king of carpet bombing ops is a hypocrite.

[rug]

6. You're wrong, again. Snark is simply a way of appearing to say something intelligent

without actually doing so.

[LiberalAndProud]

7. I think it's a far step from a banner in a parade to sanctioning gay marriage.

I don't think that is on the horizon for this pope. It would be interesting, but I think not likely.

[rug]

8. I'm expecting them to realize civil marriage laws have nothing to do with Canon Law.

[LiberalAndProud]

9. What would that mean?

How do you imagine that would translate in terms of the life of the church?

[rug]

10. It would vastly improve the life of the church, not to mention everyone outside it.

There are many in authority in the Church who feel it's a moral mission to spread its message to the statute books more than to the minds and souls of people.