Burke rejects ‘unacceptable’ synod document that sees good in gay relationships, cohabitation and civil marriages

Burke rejects ‘unacceptable’ synod document that sees good in gay relationships, cohabitation and civil marriages

THE TABLET

14 October 2014 11:17 by Christopher Lamb in Rome

Senior church figures have expressed concern about a document issued by the bishops’ Synod on the Family yesterday proposing a landmark shift in the Church’s pastoral care of gay Catholics, cohabiting couples and those in civil marriages.
Cardinal Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura – the Church’s supreme court – told The Tablet the text is “unacceptable”.
The document – known as a relatio – said that the homosexual orientation should be valued, and praised elements of same-sex partnerships.
It also says there are “seeds of the Word” for cohabiting couples, civil marriages and Catholics who are divorced and remarried.
But Cardinal Burke responded: “It’s unacceptable to me in the way it’s presently worded.”