What is the Catholic church’s teaching on homosexuality?

Pope Francis attends an encounter marking the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church at the Vatican Oct. 11. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Since Building a Bridge, a book on ministering to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics, was published, I have been asked—at Catholic parishes, retreat centers, colleges and universities and conferences—a few questions that recur over and over. The most common are: “What can we say to gay people who believe that God hates them?”…