LGBT Catholic Groups Call for Gay-Friendly Pope to Succeed Benedict XVI

Several LGBT Catholic groups are calling for a new gay-friendly pope following news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation as head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Christian Post reports. "For the last three decades, Benedict has been one of the main architects of the Vatican's policies against LGBT people," said New Ways Ministry, a gay-rights group that seeks to "build bridges" between the homosexual community and the Catholic Church. The group said it was praying for a new pope that would "combine his intelligence with true and deep pastoral concern for the lives of the people of the world." Hoping for a new pope that will be less conservative, the group added that they placed their trust in the Holy Spirit to "guide our church in the days and years to come." Equally Blessed, a coalition of Catholic groups working on behalf of LGBT people and their families, also expressed wishes for a new pope that would be more gay-friendly. The group insisted that the Catholic Church needed to take this opportunity "to turn away from his oppressive policies toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, and their families and friends."