The Vatican on Thursday released a
document which stated that the Roman Catholic Church must be less
judgmental of gay men and lesbians.
The document – called an
“instrumentum laboris” – is a working paper for a planned
October gathering of Catholic bishops to discuss family issues,
Reuters
reported.
In preparing for the synod, the Vatican
asked bishops to widely distribute a 39-question survey. The 75-page
document was based on responses to the survey.
The document states that while bishops
remain opposed to marriage equality, the Church must adopt a
“respectful, non-judgmental attitude towards people living in such
unions.”
The Vatican has previously described
being gay as a “disorder” and part of “an intrinsic moral
evil.”
Pope Francis would decide on any
recommendations arising from the paper after it is formally
introduced in October.