India’s most senior Catholic priest has called for gay sex to be made legal.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the archbishop of Bombay and president of Conference of Catholic Bishops in India, believes the law that makes homosexuality illegal should be repealed.

The Supreme Court in New Delhi has recently said they would agree to review their 2013 decision that recriminalized Section 377, declaring homosexual acts to be ‘against the order of nature’.

‘I have met some groups and associations of LGBTs and I had an understanding for them. I don’t want them to feel ostracised,’ he told The Hindu.

‘I feel that homosexuality should not be criminalised. For me it’s a question of understanding that it’s an orientation.’

He added: ‘I believe maybe people have this orientation that God has given them and for this reason they should not be ostracised from society. The Church is concerned, and if you’re Christian or Catholic and if you’re part of the Church you have to have compassion, sympathy and understanding toward them.’

He said while ‘there is no such thing as gay marriage for the church but that does not mean you throw out these people as bad.’

‘I think it would be unchristian really to be harsh with people from that community,’ the cardinal added, saying he has spoken with archdiocesan priests about toning down their language abouth homosexuality.

‘If given a choice, why would you be harsh? That’s my thinking.’