After the Vatican released a document which suggested that gay people in the Church should be valued – it has now backtracked on the comments after backlash from conservative Catholics.

On Monday, the Vatican published a document after a week of discussions by 200 bishops called by Pope Francis, that focused on the theme of ‘family’. The document asked if the church could accept same-sex couples, divorce and unmarried couples. The proposal was praised by LGBT rights groups, but now the Church has backtracked on the comments amid backlash from conservatives.

“Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a further space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home,” read the original document.

Now, the Church has made a statement saying that the document was merely a draft and that it does not want to create “the impression of a positive evaluation” of same-sex relationships.

Earlier this year, the United Nations published a report which criticised the Vatican’s stance on homosexuality. The report read, “The Committee is concerned about the Holy See’s past statements and declarations on homosexuality which contribute to the social stigmatisation of and violence against LGBT adolescents and children raised by same sex couples.”