<p><strong>October 18 2014. </strong>DignityUSA is deeply disappointed in the final report out of the Synod on the family. &ldquo;The respectful language of the midterm report is gone&rdquo; said Marianne Duddy-Burke DignityUSA&rsquo;s Executive Director. &ldquo;A return to what we&rsquo;ve heard for decades will dishearten LGBT people same-sex couples and our families.</p> <p>&ldquo;What we saw through the Synod process is that there are deep divisions in what the Catholics bishops think about LGBT people even at the highest levels of leadership. Unfortunately today doctrine won out over pastoral need. It is disappointing that those who recognized the need for a more inclusive Church were defeated&rdquo; Duddy-Burke continued.</p> <p>&ldquo;However we now know there are many bishops who believe in a more welcoming approach to LGBT people and that they are finally drawing closer to the majority of Catholics who strongly support LGBT people. We anticipate that significant dialogue and debate at all levels of the Church will continue for the year leading up to the Synod in October 2015&rdquo; said Duddy-Burke.</p> <p>&ldquo;In the meantime as this just-concluded Synod has shown the words and actions of Church leaders matter deeply and impact LGBT people and our families every day. Whether a bishop stands against a law criminalizing homosexuality whether a Church employee in a same-sex marriage can keep her job whether an LGBT high school student is bullied&mdash;all of these things flow from what the Church teaches&rdquo; said Duddy-Burke.</p> <p>&ldquo;DignityUSA remains committed to the truth that LGBT people are beloved children of God and deserve full inclusion in our Church and society. We intend to be fully involved in discussions leading up to the full Synod&rdquo; said Duddy-Burke.</p> <p class=rtecenter>###</p> <p>Contacts: Marianne Duddy-Burke 617-669-7810 or Jeff Stone 646-418-7039</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><em>DignityUSA is the nation&rsquo;s foremost organization of LGBT Catholics and our supporters. Founded in 1969 it works for full inclusion and equality of LGBT people in the Church and society.</em></p>