Catholic church publicly recognizes "LGBT youth"

After years of referring to homosexual acts as "intrinsically disordered," the Roman Catholic church is finally recognizing the "LGBT youth."

This public recognition has been done in a report released on June 19, 2018, ahead of the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will be held in October this year, according to Telegraph. It is titled "Young people, the faith, and vocational discernment."

In the report, senior officials say this recognition is the church's attempt to be more inclusive and help the "LGBT youth" "experience greater care by the Church".

Speaking at a press conference, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary general of the Vatican's synod office, shed more light on the church's stance on homosexuality, the "Instrumentum laboris" document, and upcoming meeting.

He told reporters that the inclusion of the term "LGBT" in the document is the church following the example of the young people who already use it.

"We are open. We don't want to be closed in on ourselves," he said.

About the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the Cardinal said, "The Synod's primary aim is to make the whole Church aware of her important and not at all optional task of accompanying every young person, without exclusion, towards the joy of love."

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Pope Francis says otherwise

Despite the Vatican's seeming change of heart, the head of the church appears to be on a different page.

Just last week, the Pontiff referred to homosexual families as ones not recognized by God, insisting that opposite-sex couples are the real families.

The ANSA News Agency reports that Pope Francis said, "It is painful to say this today: People speak of varied families, of various kinds of family [but] the family [as] man and woman in the image of God is the only one.

He made this statement while speaking at the Forum Delle Famiglie, an Italian movement for Catholic families.

Last month, Metro Weekly reported that Pope Francis warned against accepting gay men into the priesthood. In his words, men "who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called 'gay culture'" have no business with the God-ordained priesthood.

Pope Francis' words align with the Catholic Church's teaching which says that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered" and "contrary to the natural law".

Despite his recent statements, the Pontiff has been to know display a tolerant and open attitude towards gay people.