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Gay News: On the eve of the Pope's visit to the UK, only a small minority of British Catholics agree with his teachings on sexual matters.
By: Nigel Robinson
Only 11% thnk gay acts sinful
Only 11% thnk gay acts sinful
UK Catholics disagree with the Pope
The YouGov survey for ITV Tonight found that of the 1,636 Roman Catholics in the UK polled just 11% agreed with the Catholic Church’s doctrine that abortion should be allowed only as an indirect consequence of life-saving medical treatment.
44% said it should be allowed in case of rape, incest or the child’s serious disability, and only 6% agreed that terminations should be banned altogether.
Only 4% believed in the Church’s view that contraception is wrong, and seven out of ten said that it should, in fact, be used more often to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
41% agreed that gay relationships should be celebrated along with heterosexual relationships, and only 11% accepted the Church’s teaching that homosexual acts were sinful.
Although a majority (72%) wanted Pope Benedict XVI to remain Pope, many of the Catholics questioned believed that the Church has tried to cover up child abuse by the clergy, and that its worldwide reputation has been damaged irrevocably as a result.
The Pope arrives in Britain on Thursday for a four-day tour which is being paid for by the British taxpayer.
