San Diego Gay and Lesbian News

Heeding the conciliatory tone of Pope Francis, Roman Catholic bishops today opened their arms to the gays in a stunning thawing of the Church's attitude toward the LGBT community.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Chad Griffin has written to the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the CEO of Knights of Columbus – an affiliate of the Roman Catholic Church – calling on them to follow Pope Francis’ message of welcome and mercy for gays and lesbians.

“The Catholic Church hierarchy has positioned itself as the leading religious organization funding discrimination against LGBT people.”

Today marks the debut of Editor’s Notebook, an occasional commentary about the state of affairs in the LGBT community.

From Kampala to Yale, there are wonderful examples of deeply caring inclusive Catholics who represent a significant yet not dominant voice of the Church’s witness. They remain Catholics but do not agree with the present policies of the Papal Curia. They are a kind of “loyal opposition” and remain thorns in the flesh of certainty and conformity.

California is one of the few states in the union that is attempting to grant full equality to LGBT people. The far-right is on the warpath against the FAIR Education Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law after it was approved by the legislature.

"Most Catholics live in the real world and interact with gay and lesbian people, often members of their own families, and they see that we are human beings with the same concerns as theirs.”