The just concluded extraordinary Synod of Bishops appeared to have been dominated by conservatives, with Pope Francis' liberal call for more inclusiveness in the Catholic Church having been rejected by the traditionalists. The final draft of the Synod's statement on the Church's policy on lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders was replete with the strong adherence to traditional views, with a little semblance of tolerance for LGBT's. This was further dramatized with the beatification of Pope Paul VI, the Holy Father who banned artificial birth control. To others, these events mark the death of any attempt to open the doors of the Church to the winds of change.
To our mind, however, the final statement was enough compromise, and the liberals should not expect a sudden turn-around of one of the most conservative institutions in modern times, all the heroic attempts of Pope Francis towards liberalism notwithstanding. The initial draft proposed by the liberals includes a paragraph that somehow sounds like this: "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community, and that they must be welcomed with open arms, something to that effect.'' The conservatives rejected it for it may sound like encouraging or abetting them.
What came out was: "The Church affirms that unions between people of the same sex can not be considered on the same level as marriage between man and woman. No grounds whatsoever exist for assimilating or drawing analogies, however remote, between homosexual unions and God's design for matrimony and family. Nevertheless, men and women with homosexual tendencies should be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Any sign of unjust discrimination should be avoided." To me, this is enough for the time being, and the LGBT community should appreciate that phrase of " accepted with respect and sensitivity" and avoidance of unjust discrimination.
This is a far cry from the old tradition of considering homosexuality as a mental disease or a psychological disorder. If they demand for tolerance, the gays and other components in the LGBT community should also learn to tolerate the pillars of the Catholic Church, headed by a very understanding and compassionate Pontiff, and appreciate the overall effort to reach out to them. The NEW WAYS MINISTRY, a US Catholic gay rights group has lamented the victory of the conservatives in the Synod. They should realize however that it is not easy to adopt their extreme position with so many traditionalists in that assembly of highly conservative bishops.
I recall that when I was President of the Parents' Council in Don Bosco Makati, I convened a Father And Son Encounter; The sons that included my own raised the question on the fathers' attitude towards gays. My council members were very strong and emphatic that they would never support any homosexual acts of their boys. Well, on my part, I said something like: You cannot fight the inevitable. That phenomenon is not the fault of the boys. We have to grin and accept it. No matter what, they are still our sons. Of course, I was outvoted by the conservatives. My idea, like that of Pope Francis, might be the right one. But it's time has not yet come. We just have to be patient and wait.