Pope Says Catholic Church Should Not Dismiss Gay Marriage

Pope Francis

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The Catholic Church should not dismiss out of hand civil unions, but should study them, says Pope Francis, in latest softening of stance on thorny social issues

Pope Francis says the issue of gay marriage should be studied and not dismissed out-of-hand, a senior Roman Catholic cardinal has revealed.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the outspoken archbishop of New York, said Pope Francis had told him: “Rather than quickly condemn them, let's just ask the questions as to why that has appealed to certain people."

Archbishop Dolan stressed that the Pope had not shifted the Catholic Church’s position on same-sex unions.

"It wasn't as if he came out and approved them,” he told the NBC television network in the US.

But the Pope wanted senior Church leaders to “look into” the issue and to scrutinise the reasons why many countries have legalised same-sex marriages. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Monday, March 10, 2014