Catholic Bishops Debate Gay Ministry
By RACHEL ZOLL
ASSOCIATED PRESS

BALTIMORE (AP) - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is debating how parishes can be welcoming to gays while also upholding the teaching that gay relationships are "disordered."

The proposed guidelines before the bishops Tuesday, called "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination," condemn discrimination against gays, acknowledge that many try to live faithfully and state that it's not a sin to be attracted to someone of the same gender.

But the document also directs gays to be celibate and reaffirms church opposition to same-sex marriage and adoption by the couples. It also discourages gays from disclosing their sexual orientation outside of a close circle of parish friends and advisers. the rest