Vatican Backtracks on Pro Gay Comments

Yesterday I posed the question as to whether or not the Roman Catholic Church was capable of changing its anti-gay mindset.  The question was prompted bf the release yesterday of a preliminary document that stated that gays had "gifts to offer" and seemed to suggest that a major shift - an "earthquake" is the term used by some - and gay bloggers such as Andrew Sullivan and liberal news outlets had near orgasms over the "change" that they hoped Pope Francis was ushering in.  For my own cynical part, I said that I would NOT be holding my breath or expecting any real change.  Based on new reporting from CNN, it seems that perhaps I was the one who was correct.  Faced with a backlash from spittle flecked far right Catholics who need to look down on others to feel good about themselves and likely self-loathing closeted gays in the Church hierarchy, the Vatican is already backtracking on yesterday's gay positive statement.  Here are highlights from CNN:

Under furious assault from conservative Catholics, the Vatican backtracked Tuesday on its surprisingly positive assessment of gays and same-sex relationships.

In a report Monday, the Vatican had said that gays and lesbians have "gifts to offer" the Christian community and acknowledged that same-sex couples can give "precious support" to one other.

The statement, an interim report from a closely watched meeting of Catholic clergy here, was widely praised by liberals. It is believed to be the first time the Vatican has said anything positive about gay relationships.

One longtime Vatican journalist called the statement a "pastoral earthquake."

But many conservatives complained that the statement watered down church teaching and did not accurately reflect their discussions here, where nearly 200 Catholic leaders are meeting to debate pastoral approaches to modern family life.

In response to such reactions, the Vatican backtracked a bit Tuesday. In a statement, it said the report on gays and lesbians was a "working document," not the final word from Rome.

The Vatican also said that it wanted to welcome gays and lesbians in the church, but not create "the impression of a positive evaluation" of same-sex relationships, or, for that matter, of unmarried couples who live together.

But gay rights groups say that's precisely the impression the Vatican gave Monday

Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American and head of the Vatican's supreme court, said the report "lacks a solid foundation in the sacred Scriptures." Other conservatives called it a "betrayal."

"I actually don't think this is as much of a backtrack as we usually see!" said Marianne Duddy-Burke, head of the gay rights group Dignity USA.

"I think that response to this report was swift and intense, and I'm sure many bishops want to be sure people aren't reading more into it than is there," she continued. "However, it is undeniable that there has never been any Vatican document that made positive, respectful statements about same-sex relationships, so that is an undeniable breakthrough."

I continue to believe that if sane Catholics want the Church to change, the way to make that happen is to walk away and tell pastors and bishops why you are leaving, and most importantly, stop giving ANY money to the Church or its affiliated organizations.  Not one single penny.   This way, the Vatican will ultimately have to decide whether it wants to (i) change or (ii) become an increasingly irrelevant church of followed by ignorant, uneducated populations increasingly confined to the backwaters of the world.  Just as the Christofascists are killing the Christian brand in America, the legalistic, bitter bureaucrats in the Vatican will kill Catholicism.