Religion News Service
Sunday, October 29, 2006; A09

Children adopted by gay couples may be baptized in the Roman Catholic Church, even though the church does not support such adoptions, calling them "a pastoral concern," according to new guidelines for ministering to gay men and lesbians that will be presented to U.S. bishops next month in Baltimore.

The 23-page draft document affirms traditional church teachings on same-sex issues, such as forbidding the blessing of same-sex unions or marriages, and addresses some relatively new issues, such as discrimination against and harassment of gay men and lesbians.

The document, "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care," marks the first time in nearly 10 years that U.S. bishops have addressed such ministry in detail. Bishops will debate and vote on the guidelines at their annual fall meeting, Nov. 13 to 16, in Baltimore.

An early draft of the guidelines welcomes celibate gay men and lesbians to take part in parish life while asserting the church's "right to deny roles of service to those whose behavior violates her teaching." Public announcements of one's sexual orientation "are not helpful and should not be encouraged," the draft cautions, and it says church ministers must not bless same-sex unions or marriages or promote them in any way.

The bishops' Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices took four years to draft the document.