VATICAN CITY
BBC News
By David Willey
BBC News, Rome
At the midway point of one of the most significant Vatican meetings since the Second Vatican Council half a century ago uncertainty reigns among the nearly 300 participants – most of them celibate male clerics – about what it will or can accomplish.
Pope Francis is being challenged by some powerful cardinals holding key posts inside the Vatican who fear for their careers, as a smaller group of clerics who support his reforms are pushing for change.
The Pope has been warning darkly against unspecified “conspiracies” and “scandals” by lobbies who are playing a new role in Church politics. The existence of a so called “gay lobby” inside the Vatican has been confirmed by the outing of a gay priest who decided to go public on the eve of the opening of the Synod, causing shock and embarrassment to the organisers.
Pope Francis is the first Pope ever to utter the word “gay” in public.
Hitherto, a deep taboo has prevailed on the subject of homosexuality and homophobia. Pope Francis is recommending a more merciful and less judgmental attitude towards gays who want to remain inside the church.
One synod participant, the Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia, Mark Coleridge, has been blogging throughout the conference giving a refreshingly candid view of the discussions.
He has complained, however, about “lack of focus” and a tendency towards “Church-speak”, which he admits “may seem wondrous to us, but communicates little or nothing to most people”.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.