CATHOLIC GAYS STAGE PRAYER VIGIL AHEAD OF PAPAL VISIT lobbying to change the church's position on gay issues, sang hymns and prayed for Pope John Paul on Sunday, marking the opening of events by dissident Catholics leading up to the Pope's visit this week. About 250 people gathered at the State Capitol for a prayer vigil. "As the youth of the world gather in Denver, grant Pope John Paul II the grace and strength to lead the world beyond discrimination," the group prayed. Kevin Calegari, the president of Dignity, a Catholic homosexual rights group, said the group is working within the church because its members are concerned about homosexual teen- agers. "We're taking responsibility for our faith so that lesbian and gay kids who follow us won't go through what we've gone through," Calegari said. Homosexual orientation itself is not considered a sin in the Roman Catholic Church, although homosexual behaviour is denounced as sinful and the church has reserved the right not to employ homosexuals in its operations. The 73-year-old Pope arrives in Denver on Thursday to participate in World Youth Day, an international religious pageant expected to attract more than 150,000 youths and young adults from more than 70 countries.