The synod of bishops begins on Wednesday 4 October. The clergy will discuss topics concerning the Church. The issue of LGBT minorities and "the sin of sodomy" is also expected to come up during the assembly.

Many non-church organisations have been calling for a change in the institution's approach to homosexuality for years. Pope Francis himself has quite liberal views when it comes to the LGBT minority. Archbishop Gądecki, on the other hand, has one simple piece of advice for non-heteronormative people.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, President of the Polish Bishops' Conference, was interviewed by the Polish Press Agency (PAP). The clergyman expressed his opinion on the LGBT minority and how the Church should approach it. He admitted that many people hope for a change in the clergy's approach to homosexuality. However, he stressed that sexual acts are a sin.

"In order to start talking about homosexual people, we must first recognise that human sexual life is subject to moral valuation. Consequently, we must recognise that there are sins against chastity. Furthermore, that this list of sins includes homosexual acts, as intrinsically disordered and contrary to the natural law by their very nature. Consequently, they cannot be approved under any circumstances. Only in this context one can pose the question how are homosexuals to strive for holiness," Archbishop Gądecki said in an interview with PAP.

The clergyman said that people belonging to the LGBT minority should live in total sexual abstinence. He stressed that this was not an extraordinary requirement on the part of the Church, as young unmarried people, single people, widowers or monastics also do not have sex.

"This is not an easy path, but with the help of God's grace it is possible," he stressed.

The bishop however, did not wish to comment on the scandal in Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Pope Francis seems to be a fairly liberal clergyman when it comes to the issue of same-sex couples. The head of the Church has even suggested that attitudes towards the LGBT minority should be changed and that a blessing should even be given to people who are in a non-heteronormative relationship.

The Pope, of course, stressed that giving a blessing would not be tantamount to getting married. However, the clergyman sees no problem in accepting same-sex couples, supporting them and treating them as a believing community.

The Pope said that "pastoral charity" required patience and understanding, and priests could not become judges "who only deny, reject and exclude".

"For this reason, pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of benediction, requested by one or more persons, that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage," he wrote.