LGBT Catholics say Vatican move is 'crushing'

Catholic leaders and advocates for the LGBTQ community are reacting to a statement released Monday by the Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, that provided a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions.

The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was "negative."

The Rev. Bryan Massingale, a professor of theology and social ethics at Fordham University in New York and an openly gay Catholic priest, was disappointed by the decision.

"To hear people describe the desire of gay and lesbian persons for love or affection this year that described as sinful is crushing," he said.

Ross Murray the senior director of education and training at The GLAAD Media Institute, an LGBT advocacy group, believes the decision will further alienate Catholics.

"This is part of that whole pattern of small incremental progress and then big step-backs and so this becomes incredibly frustrating for LGBTQ people who are a part of the Roman Catholic Church," he said.

Massingale agrees: "I think that to the extent that the church's teaching of sexual morality is seen as being contradictory and even somewhat hypocritical, I think that that will that will only exacerbate that trend for many Catholics

The note distinguished between the church's welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God's plan and that any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage.