Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism

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In Roman Catholicism, homosexual acts are contrary to natural law and sinful while homosexual desires are disordered (but not themselves sinful). The Roman Catholic Church considers human sexual behavior to be sacred, almost sacramental in nature, when properly expressed. Anal intercourse and homogenital acts are considered sinful because sexual acts, by their nature, are meant to be both unitive and procreative (mirroring God's inner Trinitarian life). The Church also understands the complementarity of the sexes to be part of God's plan. Same-gender sexual acts are incompatible with this framework:

"[H]omosexual acts are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved" ^[1].

These teachings are, of course, not limited to the issue of homosexuality, but form the philosophical underpinning for the Catholic prohibitions against, for example, fornication, all other forms of unnatural sex, contraception, pornography, anal sex and masturbation.

A minority of individual priests within the Catholic Church, including ordinaries, most notably Bishop Jacques Gaillot of France, have criticized the Church's position. Such dissent is carried out in direct defiance of the constant Catholic teaching on human sexuality.

On May 15, 2008, the Roman Catholic bishops of California issued a statement explaining their opposition to the state supreme court ruling of the same day which effectively legalized same-sex marriage.^[2]

1 Acceptance and compassion
2 Social and psychological support
3 Church Debate
- 3.1 Dissent from official position
- 3.2 Defense of official position
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Acceptance and compassion

The Church has stated that homosexual desires or attractions themselves are not necessarily sinful. They are said to be "disordered" in the sense that they tempt one to do something that is sinful (i.e., the homosexual act), but temptations beyond one's control are not considered sinful in and of themselves. For this reason, while the Church does oppose attempts to legitimize same-gender sexual acts, it also officially urges respect and love for those who do experience same-sex attractions, thus the Catholic Church is also opposed to persecutions and violence against the LGBT community:

"The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition." ^[3]

For those who do experience same-sex attractions, the Catholic Church offers the following counsel:

"Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection" ^[4].

It should be noted that the Church considers the call to chastity to be universal to all persons according to their state in life.

[edit] Social and psychological support

Terence Cardinal Cooke as Archbishop of New York City, saw a need for a ministry which would assist same-sex attracted Catholics to adhere to Vatican directives on sexual behaviour. Cooke invited John Harvey to New York to begin the work of Courage International with Benedict Groeschel, of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. The first meeting was held in September, 1980 at the Shrine of Mother Seton in South Ferry.

In 1997, the USCCB came out with a tract called always our children which some might find helpful. It articulates the most recent stance on homosexuality, especially as it relates to parents of homosexual children.

However, some practicing homosexuals might be denied Holy Communion due to advocating or performing gay sex, although this varies depending on the stance of the local bishop and the presiding priest.

The Catholic Medical Association has stated that same-sex attractions are preventable and a symptom of other issues. The goal of therapy should be "freedom to live chastely according to one's state in life."^[5]

[edit] Church Debate

As has proven to be the case within most Christian denominations, the official teachings regarding homosexuality have been disputed by lay Catholics, prominent theologians, and ordained clergymen of high stature. Frequently, any such individuals promoting a form of dissent or disagreement with the documented church stance have been removed from positions of influence, if ordained, and even, in some circumstances, excommunicated. Generally, there is considerable debate within the Roman Catholic Church regarding the relevance of the current stance on homosexuality, some seeking to reform, others seeking to preserve.^{[citation needed]}

However, the Roman Curia maintain no intention of considering a revision of the current teaching of the Church and consider the promotion of any other viewpoint to be a dissent from the acceptable religious understanding. On the contrary, in an official brief called Rescriptum ex audientia of May 19 2008 made by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone the cardinal secretary of state reaffirmed once again the norms established by the Congregation for Catholic Education in the 2005 document as of universal value and without exceptions.^[6]

[edit] Dissent from official position

Several notable individuals have challenged the Church's position or promoted different understandings of the compatibility of the Roman Catholic faith and homosexual identity/lifestyle. Notable examples of theologians who have been sharply critical of the church's proclamations regarding homosexuality include the former Roman Catholic priest, Professor Charles Curran who was subsequently removed from the faculty at the Catholic University of America. Curran contended that it was inappropriate to analyse the morality of actions from a physical perspective, writing that:

I had come to accept the moral legitimacy of a union of two gay men or lesbians... I rejected, as not going far enough, the pastoral understanding of something being objectively wrong but not subjectively sinful. ^[7]

Curran also comments that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith systematically attempted to silence authors also critical of teachings on homosexuality, citing the 'highlighting' of errors in Dr. John J. McNeill's The Church and the Homosexual.

Roman Catholic priest Dr. James Alison argues that the understanding proposed by (then) Dr. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons is "incompatible with the Gospel" and summarises that "it cannot in fact be the teaching of the Church", expanding upon his view Alison contends that"

This teaching is interposing itself between the regard of Christ and our own sense of being, in a way which tends to pervert the simple regard of one [God] who loves us as we are, and as loved we will find ourselves becoming someone different. It is teaching us instead that God will only love us if we start from somewhere else. ^[8]

Furthermore, in a Question of Truth, the Dominican priest Gareth Moore criticises the church for obsessing over sexual matters and their supposed moral 'meaning', arguing that it can actually mean what we want it to. Moore concludes that: "... there are no good arguments, from either Scripture or natural law, against what have come to be known as homosexual relationships. The arguments put forward to show that such relationships are immoral are bad."^[9]

There have also been academics who have produced publications challenging the manner in which homosexuality is treated by Roman Catholicism, arguably the most notable of these is Professor John Boswell's book Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, in which Boswell employs philosophical argument and historical research to attempt to counter the contemporary teaching of the Church regarding homosexuality.^[10] In the book's sequel, Same Sex Unions in Pre Modern Europe Boswell even argues that Jesus himself attended a same sex union ceremony. ^[11]

As well as academic disagreement within the Church, there have also been practical and ministerial disagreements within the clergy and hierarchy of the Church. One notable example of ordained Catholics who have attracted controversy because of their actions and ministry to homosexuals is that of Fr. Robert Nugent and Dr. Jeannine Grammick who established New Ways Ministry, and were both disciplined strongly by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith because of their perceived eagerness to dissent from official church teaching, and even mislead homosexual individuals. Similarly, the American Bishops Dr. Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit and Matthew Clarke of the Diocese of Rochester were condemned for their association with New Ways Ministry, and promotion of the theological concept of Primacy of Conscience as an alternative to the actual teaching of the Church. ^[12] Furthermore, the willingness of Bishop Jacques Gaillot, a French bishop forcibly removed from duties within his diocese, to preach a message about homosexuality contrary to that of the official stance of the church, is largely considered to be one of the factors that led to him being removed from his See. ^[13]

Dr. Robert Zollitsch the Archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau and Chairman of the Conference of German Bishops said in an article with the german magazine Der Spiegel, that he accepts civil unions by states but he is against Same-sex marriage. ^[14] Likewise, Dr. Diarmuid Martin the Archbishop of Dublin has promoted similar viewpoints following calls for the introduction of civil unions in the Republic of Ireland. ^[15]

[edit] Defense of official position

It is probable that the majority of Church officials and Catholic laymen defend and promote the official understanding of homosexuality of the Church and criticise those who are willing to consider revising it, believing revisions to be contrary to God's plan as evidenced in the story of the creation of Adam and Eve, i.e. an understanding enshrined in Natural Law; also possibly supported by various apparitions warning against not allowing compromise on certain stances, and it may be interpreted that this is one of them.

The vast majority of bishops have not expressed any disagreement with Church teaching regarding homosexuality, and some have obtained a reputation for an impassioned defence of it. Two notable examples would be Dr. George Cardinal Pell and Dr. Francis Cardinal Arinze, who have insisted that the family as a unit is "mocked by homosexuality" and "sabotaged by irregular unions". ^[16]

Furthermore, after taking pontifical office, one of the more controversial decisions of Pope Benedict XVI has been the decision of the Congregation for Catholic Education to further prohibit any individual who has present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called "gay culture", or any individual having had such "tendencies" within the past three years, from entry to seminary, and thus from joining the priesthood. ^[17] Whilst this policy is not a new initiative, it is clearly a reiteration of the Church's conventional stance toward homosexuality, and thus is evidence of the fact that change of the official position is deeply unlikely as of now. However, some bishops continue to knowingly ordain gay priests despite the Vatican's pronouncement and individual religious orders sometimes vary in their level of tolerance.^{[citation needed]}