Gay people in the Catholic Church are sometimes "treated like dirt", according to a priest invited by the Vatican to address a conference on families in Dublin on Thursday ahead of a visit by Pope Francis. US Jesuit priest James Martin preaches openness towards gay Roman Catholics -- in the face of some traditionalists who have tried to shut him down. "It is a sign to all Catholics that the Vatican considers LGBT Catholics part of the Church," said the author of a bestselling book which reaches out to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians.



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