HRC applauds Pope Francis' remarks on helping parents support their gay children

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, on Monday applauded Pope Francis' remarks on the Catholic Church helping parents support their gay children.

Francis told Argentinian daily La Nacion that a recently concluded synod on the family addressed "the homosexual persons in relation to their families, because we come across this reality all the time in the confessional: a father and a mother whose son or daughter is in that situation. ...We have to find a way to help that father or that mother to stand by their son or daughter."

Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, director of Latino/a and Catholic initiatives for the HRC Foundation's Religion and Faith Program said HRC celebrates "these small steps."

(Related: Pope Francis: Church must help parents stand by their gay children.)

"These are welcome remarks by Pope Francis, and we hope that the leadership of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is paying attention," she said. "Embracing inclusion goes a long way to heal the lives of the many hurt by the destructiveness of church leaders past and present who have encouraged parents to reject their children based on sexual orientation or gender identity."

"There is much to do, but we celebrate these small steps and look forward to more progress in our lifetime. Who we are, what we believe, and who we love should not be undermined by doctrine or dogma."