(Rome) Bishop José Raúl Vera López, Dominican and Diocesan Bishop of Saltillo in Mexico, is held to be the "bishop of the gay lobby" in the Catholic Church. The Liberation Theology "inspired" chief shepherd has been known in recent years primarily for his vociferous defense of homosexuality. On the day before the opening of the Synod of Bishops in 2015 on the family, Raul Vera was a "special guest" at a meeting of a "Catholic Gay Network" in Rome. Next February, he will be one of a small circle of selected persons with whom Pope Francis meets during his Mexico visit in secret.