A Catholic priest in Australia said committed gay relationships should be met with ‘not just recognition but joy… that’s the least we can offer people’.

Canberra-based priest Michael Fallon said in an interview with Canberra Times he feared ordinary people were being repulsed from the Catholic church by its hardline views on gay relationships.

Fallon said he met gay students while working as chaplain at the University of New South Wales from 1972 to 1979 and learnt to understand the people behind the prejudice.

The priest who is being treated for leukemia said he believes the church is moving towards accepting gay relationships.

‘I’m just confident from the people I talk to that love will prevail,’ Fallon said, adding that he thinks the ‘fixed position based on an understanding of what’s called "natural law"… needs revisiting’.

But Fallon stopped short of supporting gay marriage. ‘If it happened I wouldn’t lose a lot of sleep over it,’ he said. ‘But I don’t think it’s a good idea to confuse the issue, so I’m hoping they can come up with another word.’

The Catholic church in Australia has been a vocal opponent to gay marriage.

‘Changing the meaning of marriage to something which it is not discriminates against all those who have entered into marriages and are faithful to that commitment,’ said the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s submission to the inquiry into legalizing same-sex marriage in Australia last year.

The church also sent out letters to parishioners asking them to make their own submission against same-sex marriage to the senate enquiry.