Activists Applaud Catholic Shift on Homosexuality

Gay rights activists are applauding what they're calling a shift by the Catholic Church's in its stance on homosexuality.

On Monday, top synod organizer Cardinal Peter Erdo said homosexuals had "gifts and qualities" to offer the Christian community.

Still, bishops reiterated that gay marriage was off the table.

Erdo made the statement from the Vatican as the two-week meeting of bishops on family issues reached its halfway point.

A document was released summarizing the closed-door debate thus far.

In the document, Catholic bishops showed remarkable openness in accepting the real lives of many of today's Catholics, saying gay people had gifts to offer the Church and that there were "positive" aspects of a couple living together without being married.

"This is a stunning change in the way the Catholic Church speaks of gay people," Rev. James Martin, an author and Jesuit priest, said. "The Synod is clearly listening to the complex, real-life experiences of Catholics around the world, and seeking to address them with mercy, as Jesus did."

Conservative groups are denouncing the report, saying it will confuse Catholics.

The bishops repeated that gay marriage was off the table. But it acknowledged that gay partnerships had merit.

The Vatican will issue a final document on Saturday.