On Wednesday, Pope Francis held a meeting with Catholic bishops on the future of the Catholic Church. One such proposal was to “not stand in the way of blessings of same-sex unions in the church.” This was in direct opposition to the teachings of the church. Unsurprisingly, ABC’s World News Tonight, and CBS Evening News had no issue with these heretics and decided to uncritically promote the idea of allowing same-sex “marriage” in the Catholic church.
"Pope Francis opened an important meeting of Catholic bishops today on the future of the church. Among the controversial topics, whether priests can marry, or women can become deacons, and if priests can bless same-sex marriages,” CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell reported.
She then handed the segment off to correspondent Chris Livesay who reported on the meeting from Rome.
Livesay reported that Francis published a letter “opening the door for priests to bless same-sex unions. ‘We cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude,’ declared the pontiff.”
He then provoked a back and forth between a lesbian named Jamie Manson who purports to be a Catholic and the head of a group called “Catholics for Choice,” which was like chickens being for Chick-fil-A, and Father Gerald Murray:
JAMIE MANSON (PRESIDENT, CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE): As queer people, we want to believe that God blesses our love.
LIVESAY: Jamie Manson, a women's rights activist and devout Catholic, says the change opens the church tent for LGBTQ couples, like her and her partner of four years.
MANSON: Affirming and embracing everyone only makes the church stronger. It is a very slim minority of Catholics who are opposed to same-sex unions.
FATHER GERALD MURRAY: That’s what they wish, but it's not.
LIVESAY: Father Gerald Murray is a conservative priest from Manhattan.
MURRAY: For the pope to say that priests and bishops can find a way to do this, it's wrong. He shouldn't do it.
LIVESAY: What’s the harm in making this tent, so to speak, bigger for more people?
MURRAY: The harm is that it contradicts Catholic teaching.
"This summer, Pope Francis called some of his conservative critics in the U.S. backwards,” Livesay added.
What’s backward was desecrating the world’s greatest religion.
Meanwhile on ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir simply provided a news brief on what happened in Rome.
“Meantime, at the Vatican tonight, Pope Francis actually signaling change when it comes to same-sex couples at a gathering to discuss the future of the Catholic church,” Muir reported.
“Pope Francis making it clear he would not stand in the way of blessings of same-sex unions in the church. The pontiff stressing, quote, everyone is welcome in the church,” he added.
The transcript are below. Click “expand”:
ABC’s World News Tonight
10/4/2023
6:48:12 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: Meantime, at the Vatican tonight, Pope Francis actually signaling change when it comes to same-sex couples at a gathering to discuss the future of the Catholic church. Pope Francis making it clear he would not stand in the way of blessings of same-sex unions in the church. The pontiff stressing, quote, everyone is welcome in the church.
CBS Evening News
10/4/2023
6:41:48 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Turning overseas now to the Vatican, where Pope Francis opened an important meeting of Catholic bishops today on the future of the church. Among the controversial topics, whether priests can marry, or women can become deacons, and if priests can bless same-sex marriages. CBS's Chris Livesay is in Rome.
CHRIS LIVESAY: From around the world, bishops gathering and sometimes clashing on hot-button issues, but the biggest bombshell dropped before the synod even began, with Francis this week publishing a letter opening the door for priests to bless same-sex unions. "We cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude," declared the pontiff.
JAMIE MANSON (PRESIDENT, CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE): As queer people, we want to believe that God blesses our love.
LIVESAY: Jamie Manson, a women's rights activist and devout Catholic, says the change opens the church tent for LGBTQ couples, like her and her partner of four years.
MANSON: Affirming and embracing everyone only makes the church stronger. It is a very slim minority of Catholics who are opposed to same-sex unions.
FATHER GERALD MURRAY: That’s what they wish, but it's not.
LIVESAY: Father Gerald Murray is a conservative priest from Manhattan.
MURRAY: For the pope to say that priests and bishops can find a way to do this, it's wrong. He shouldn't do it.
LIVESAY: What’s the harm in making this tent, so to speak, bigger for more people?
MURRAY: The harm is that it contradicts Catholic teaching.
LIVESAY: American conservative leaders in the Catholic church have warned that if Francis doesn't stick to doctrine, he could provoke a permanent split. In his homily to open the meeting, Francis made it clear where his focus lies.
He said, "Everyone, everyone, everyone, must be allowed in."
This summer, Pope Francis called some of his conservative critics in the U.S. backwards. As for blessing same-sex unions, Pope Francis says this shouldn't give the impression that they’re on par with heterosexual marriages. Still, the only marriages the Catholic church recognizes.
