Reader comments from www.advocate.com

In the May 10 issue, we asked:

Will the Catholic Church become more accepting of gays and lesbians under the new pope?

* "The Catholic Church is too hung tip on dogma and its assertion of infallibility to ever admit that its homophobic teachings are contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ."

* "Not unless Ratzinger gets a call from Jesus telling him, 'Hey, Ratz, leave my queer brothers and sisters alone, for Christ's sake!'"

* "The only acceptance of homosexuality in Catholicism is for gays to become straight, celibate, or face eternal damnation."

* "The Roman Catholic Church will never change its views on homosexuality until a pope's male lover is exposed."

* "I believe the church will gradually become somewhat more accepting of gays under the new pope. Not that it will do it proactively: rather, it will have to make some concessions in order to keep up with its members as they progress."

* "Not a hope in hell."

No       95%
Unsure    2%
Yes       3%

Note: Table made from pie chart.

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