Despite one, brief, shining moment, when it looked like the Catholic Church was going to break free from its traditional teachings, the Church of Rome acquiesced to its more conservative members and agreed that "disordered" gays are still not welcome. In another victory for the conservatives, any talk of divorced and remarried Catholics (Megyn Kelly?) being allowed to receive communion was also scrapped. While the final document, from the recent Synod on family issues says that gays should not be discriminated against, a majority of bishops nixed any talk of approving of gay relationships. Church doctrine on the sinfulness of gay relationships remains, despite the Marxist Pope's conciliatory, liberal tone. But for official Foxpriest, Fr. Jonathan Morris, who was part of  Fox fave Cardinal Dolan's entourage to Rome, the synod was happy, happy, joy, joy. 

Clayton Morris and Anna Kooiman reported that the recent Vatican meeting, about faith and families, has concluded with "no consensus on the idea of welcoming non-traditional families." To the question of whether the church should welcome "non-traditional" families, Fr. Morris said "of course." He explained that a mid-term report was issued "and these were very controversial issues and the mid-term report made it sound like welcoming could also mean we're changing doctrine (oh, nooo) because that was the headlines."

After gushing about how "of course we should welcome everybody," he added that "we are all sinners" and that "creative ways" should be found to welcome "while at the same time not change the Bible." He further explained that now that the Synod's statements have been clarified, there will be a year of study after which the Pope will issue a statement. He gushed that the Pope exhorted the Church to go out looking for people "who are in difficult situations."

Anna Kooiman asked the Pope wants the Church to "pray away the gay" or say "let's welcome them." She noted that "this can be very controversial and a tricky situation." Fr. Morris said the Church will need to examine specific situations. As an example he referenced the scenario in which a gay couple wants a child to be baptized and how that relates to Church teaching that the child be raised as a Catholic. He gushed about how the Synod was so "refreshing" even though he wasn't in the Synod hall. (Hmm, then where was he - oh, right, saying his daily prayers!) The gang joked about doing a show in Rome. Fr. Morris, who, as vice-rector of the Legion of Christ Rome seminary, had a very high position directly under the disgraced Fr. Marcial Maciel, joked about the great food and music in Rome. (Hmm)

Fr. Morris didn't mention that the discussion on the gay issues showed "deep divisions" among clergy at the meeting, as well as a division between the church and its congregation. He didn't mention that head of the Vatican Court, American Cardinal Raymond Burke, took time out of the synod to say that Catholic families should shun their gay children and not invite them to family gatherings lest any children be exposed to somebody who is being openly sinful. He also didn't mention that his sister is married to another woman and is the subject of an interesting Washington Post article which examines the stress of being an openly gay person in a rigidly Catholic family. (BTW, Fr. Morris didn't attend her wedding.)

But all is well in Fox Catholic world. Happy, happy, joy, joy....