Pope Francis on Sunday defended the
Roman Catholic Church's views on marriage as he opened a synod on the
family.
The Synod of Bishops is a three-week
assembly of bishops from around the world that will look at issues
facing Catholic families.
“This is God's dream for his beloved
creation, to see it fulfilled in the loving union between a man and a
woman,” the pope said. “Rejoicing their shared journey, fruitful
in their mutual gift of self.”
“God wants us to carry out the
church's mission in truth, which is not changed by passing fads or
popular opinions.”
On the eve of the synod, a Polish
priest who served with the Vatican's doctrinal arm announced he's gay
and has a partner.
Monsignor Krysztof Olaf Charamsa called
on the Holly Father to revise the Catholic teaching on homosexuality,
which states that all people should be respected but that gay sex is
“intrinsically disordered.”
With his partner Eduardo by his side,
Charamsa called on the church to “open your eyes to the suffering
of gay people, to their desire for love.”
In a statement, the Vatican called the
priest's actions “irresponsible” and suggested that his service
as a theologian at the Vatican was over.