Claim: In 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a letter which gave instructions on how the Catholic Church (whose teaching has been describe as "straightforwardly conservative") should deal with, and respond to, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in order to remove ambiguity about permissible tolerence of homosexual orientation.
Evidence: In October 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a letter addressed to all the bishops of the Catholic Church entitled On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. The letter gave instructions on how the clergy should deal with, and respond to, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. Designed to remove any ambiguity about permissible tolerance of homosexual orientation resulting from the earlier Persona Humana—and prompted by the growing influence of gay-accepting groups and clergy—the letter was particularly aimed at the church in the United States. The Church's teaching has been described as "straightforwardly conservative" yet "quite complex and perhaps more nuanced than many other conservative denominational's perspectives".