In an interview with The Hindu, Cardinal Oswald Gracias said he knows "there is still research being done whether it's a matter of choice or matter of orientation and there are two opinions on this matter".

"But I believe maybe people have this orientation that God has given them and for this reason they should not be ostracised from society," the Archbishop of Mumbai said.

He said he supports the repeal of a section of India's penal code that criminalises homosexual acts.

Cardinal Gracias also rejected judgmental language about LGBT people, and said the Church and Indian society should be more welcoming towards them.

"Asian society is very traditional and the Indian society, in particular, is very traditional and resists change. [It] doesn't want to be destabilised perhaps.

"That is why I think sometimes that if society is not ready then maybe we shouldn't push against it as there will be a backlash.

"But on the other hand, a group should not suffer because of that. We have to get these people integrated into society."

He said he recently ordered a priest to tone down his language in speaking publicly on the issue.

"The Church in India and also worldwide has a role to play in forming the mentality of people and the thinking of people," Cardinal Gracias said.

"We should be more welcoming of people from the LGBT community and certainly less judgemental in our approach.

"In fact, we just had a meeting of bishops last month where frankly everybody agreed that we have been speaking a little too harshly about them.

"The Church also has an important role to play in providing [LGBT people with] a sense of security.

"It's not just that they should be tolerated, they should also be accepted. For many of them, through no fault of their own, this is a great suffering."

Cardinal Gracias, who is a member of the Pope's advisory C9 council of cardinals, noted that the Church does not accept gay marriage.

Sources

• The Hindu
• Pink News
• La Stampa
• Image: Church Militant

Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias told The Tablet the story indicates there are people who want to damage the Pope.

"It's the first thought that came to me. Somebody is trying to weaken the Pope's position and to indicate 'Ok now that's it, he is just here for a short time'," said Cardinal Gracias.

The cardinal thought the motivation for the story could be to try to "put the brakes" on the Pope's reforms.

"It has something to do with his popularity. What he is saying is just the Gospel so I can't see why they are upset up about it," he added.

Cardinal Gracias is a member of the Pope's advisory "C9" council of cardinals.

German Cardinal Walter Kasper said of the story: "It's evident to me that some people don't like this Pope. Maybe they were trying to influence us (in the synod)."

"Certain people, both inside and outside the Church, are nervous about the outcome of the synod," he said.

The tumour story was an attempt to "upset" the final days of deliberation at the gathering, the cardinal said.

The story alleging Pope Francis saw a Japanese neurosurgeon about a brain tumour was denounced by the Vatican as "completely false".

The editor of Quotidiano Nazionale, the Italian newspaper that first published the story, has denied assertions that he is part of a conspiracy against the Pope.

Andrea Cangini said that "time will tell who was right"—the newspaper or the Vatican.

Cangini said he would not violate a confidentiality agreement with his source for the story.

Brain cancer specialist Dr Takanori Fukushima released a statement saying that he had never medically examined the Pope.

Sources

• The Tablet
• Catholic Culture
• The Telegraph
• Image: Church Militant

Attempting to condemn bad proselytism, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism spoke against conversions and changing from one religion to another.

His position was seen as support for the policies of the radical Hindu groups and the anti-conversion laws that exist in some Indian states. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Bombay, took issue with him.

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