Catholic Church and homosexuality: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
this was not at all clear from the text
Line 35: Line 35:
A number of individual bishops around the world have held diocesan events with the goal of reaching out to gay Catholics and ministering to them, and more have spoken publicly about the need to love and welcome them into the church. Several assemblies of the [[Synod of Bishops (Catholic)|Synod of Bishops]] have struck similar themes, while maintaining that same-sex sexual activity is sinful and that same-sex marriage cannot be permitted.<ref name=Gehring/> In 2018, in a move regarded as a sign of respect to the community,<ref name=Gehring/> the Vatican used the acronym LGBT for the first time ever in an official document.<ref name=Barnes/> [[Pope Francis]] has also [[Pope Francis and homosexuality|spoken out]] about the need for pastoral care for gay and transgender Catholics, adding that God made LGBT people that way.<ref name=Gallagher/><ref name=home/><ref name=sharman/>
A number of individual bishops around the world have held diocesan events with the goal of reaching out to gay Catholics and ministering to them, and more have spoken publicly about the need to love and welcome them into the church. Several assemblies of the [[Synod of Bishops (Catholic)|Synod of Bishops]] have struck similar themes, while maintaining that same-sex sexual activity is sinful and that same-sex marriage cannot be permitted.<ref name=Gehring/> In 2018, in a move regarded as a sign of respect to the community,<ref name=Gehring/> the Vatican used the acronym LGBT for the first time ever in an official document.<ref name=Barnes/> [[Pope Francis]] has also [[Pope Francis and homosexuality|spoken out]] about the need for pastoral care for gay and transgender Catholics, adding that God made LGBT people that way.<ref name=Gallagher/><ref name=home/><ref name=sharman/>


Organizations such as [[DignityUSA]] and [[Courage International]] were established in the United States in response to the push within the United States for greater recognition within the Church for gay men and lesbian women. Courage also has a ministry geared towards the relatives and friends of gay people called Encourage.<ref name=Encourage/>
Organizations such as [[DignityUSA]], which advocates for the rights of LGBT Catholics, and [[Courage International]], which encourages gay and lesbian Catholics to be chaste, were established in the United States in response to the push within the United States for greater recognition within the Church for gay men and lesbian women. Courage also has a ministry geared towards the relatives and friends of gay people called Encourage.<ref name=Encourage/>


==Dissent from Church teaching==
==Dissent from Church teaching==

Revision as of 23:11, 8 June 2019

For a wider perspective, see Christianity and homosexuality and Catholic theology of sexuality.

Part of a series on the
Catholic Church
St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Overview
Background
Organisation

God

  • Trinity
  • Consubstantialitas
  • Filioque
  • Divinum illud munus
    		•
    Divine law
    Realms beyond the States of the Church
    Paschal mystery
    Blessed Virgin Mary
    Salvation
    Ecclesiology
    Other teachings
    Texts
    • Official Bible
    Philosophy


    Schools

    Worship
    Rites
    Miscellaneous

    Relations with:

    Societal issues
    Links and resources
    icon Catholic Church portal
    Part of a series on
    Christianity
    and LGBT topics
    Overview articles
    Denominational positions
    LGBT Christian clergy
     LGBT portal

    The Catholic Church's relationship with homosexuality includes the Church's teaching, ministry, history, and political positions on issues related to homosexuality, as well as those who support and oppose the Church's teaching and activity. The Catholic Church prohibits sexual activity between members of the same sex. This teaching has developed through a number of ecumenical councils and the influence of theologians, including the Church Fathers. Historically, the Catholic Church has resisted the acceptance of homosexuality within Christian society and has on occasions punished those who have transgressed.

    While varying from diocese to diocese, the Church also provides pastoral care for LGBT Catholics through a variety of official and unofficial channels. Recent popes have called for the Church to do more, beginning with Pope John Paul II asking "the bishops to support, with the means at their disposal, the development of appropriate forms of pastoral care for homosexual persons.”[1] In many parts of the world, the Church is active politically to support or oppose civil government legislation on the basis of Catholic moral theology and Catholic Social Teaching.

    The opinion of lay Catholics tends to be more supportive of gay marriage than the hierarchy.[2] There have been a number of notable Catholics who have been gay or bisexual, including priests and bishops. There are groups, individuals, and ministries who support the Church's teaching, while LGBT activists and supporters around the world have protested against Church teaching and policy.

    Church teaching

    Main article: Catholic teaching on homosexuality

    The church teaches that, as one does not choose to be either homo- or heterosexual, being gay is not inherently sinful.[3][4] In Catholic theology of sexuality, all sexual acts must be open to procreation and express the symbolism of male-female complementarity.[5] As sexual acts between two members of the same gender cannot meet these standards, those acts are considered sinful, and thus homosexuality constitutes a tendency towards this sin.[6][5] Specifically, the Church teaches that homosexual activity is a sin against chastity and an expression of lust,[7] and that gay people are called to practice chastity.[8] The Church also teaches that gay people "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity," and that "every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided."[9]

    History

    Main article: History of the Catholic Church and homosexuality
    See also: History of Christianity and homosexuality

    The Christian tradition has generally prohibited any and all noncoital genital activities, whether engaged in by couples or individuals, regardless of whether they were of the same or different sex.[10] The Catholic Church's position specifically on homosexuality developed from the teachings of the Church Fathers, which was in stark contrast to Greek and Roman attitudes towards same-sex relations, including pederasty.[11][12][13]

    Canon law regarding same-sex sexual activity has been shaped through the decrees issued by a number of ecclesiastical councils.[14] Initially, canons against sodomy were aimed at ensuring clerical or monastic discipline, and were only widened in the medieval period to include laymen.[15] In the Summa Theologica, Saint Thomas Aquinas stated that "the unnatural vice" is the greatest of the sins of lust.[16]

    In January 1976, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith under Pope Paul VI published Persona Humana, a teaching that prohibited extra-marital sex, including gay sex.[17] Homosexuality received no mention in papal encyclicals until Pope John Paul II's Veritatis Splendor of 1993 where he declared that homosexual intercourse is performed by a choice of the will, unlike homosexual orientation, which he acknowledged is not a matter of free choice.[3]

    Modern popes, including Pope Francis have repeatedly spoken about the need for the church to welcome and love all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.[18] Beginning in the 1960s, a number of organizations have formed to minister to LGBT people. These organizations vary in their adherence to church teaching.

    Pastoral care for gay Catholics

    Main article: Pastoral care for gay Catholics

    Beginning in the 1970s, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops taught that gays "should have an active role in the Christian community" and have called on "all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual persons. We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment."[19]

    A number of individual bishops around the world have held diocesan events with the goal of reaching out to gay Catholics and ministering to them, and more have spoken publicly about the need to love and welcome them into the church. Several assemblies of the Synod of Bishops have struck similar themes, while maintaining that same-sex sexual activity is sinful and that same-sex marriage cannot be permitted.[20] In 2018, in a move regarded as a sign of respect to the community,[20] the Vatican used the acronym LGBT for the first time ever in an official document.[21] Pope Francis has also spoken out about the need for pastoral care for gay and transgender Catholics, adding that God made LGBT people that way.[22][23][24]

    Organizations such as DignityUSA, which advocates for the rights of LGBT Catholics, and Courage International, which encourages gay and lesbian Catholics to be chaste, were established in the United States in response to the push within the United States for greater recognition within the Church for gay men and lesbian women. Courage also has a ministry geared towards the relatives and friends of gay people called Encourage.[25]

    Dissent from Church teaching

    Main article: Dissent from Catholic teaching on homosexuality
    A rainbow flag of the LGBT movement

    There have a number of practical and ministerial disagreements within the clergy and hierarchy of the Catholic Church concerning the Church's position on homosexuality. A number of Catholics and Catholic groups have sought to adopt an approach they consider to be more inclusive.[26][27][28][29] Dissenters argue that the prohibition on extramarital sex emphasizes the physical dimension of the act at the expense of higher moral, personal and spiritual goals[30] and that the practice of total, lifelong sexual denial risks personal isolation.[31] They argue that it is preferable to believe that this element of Church teaching is mistaken.[32]

    In several cases, clergy or laypeople have been fired from jobs at Catholic schools or universities because of their support for LGBT rights campaigns[33][34] or their marriages to partners of the same sex.[34][35][36] In the United States, more than 50 people have reported losing their jobs at Catholic institutions since 2010 over their sexual orientation or identity, according to New Ways Ministries.[37]

    Gay rights activists have protested both inside and outside of Catholic churches, sometimes disrupting masses. This includes at the National Shrine in Washington,[38][39] at an ordination of priests at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston,[40][41][42] and during mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York[39][38][40] where they desecrated the Eucharist.[43][44][45][46] Others have splattered paint on churches in Los Angeles[47] and drenched an archbishop with water.[48] In 1998, Alfredo Ormando died after setting himself on fire outside Saint Peter's Basilica.[49]

    Defense of Church teaching

    Many Catholic groups defend the Church's teaching. The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organisation, have also been active in political campaigns across the United States to oppose the legal introduction of same-sex marriage. The Order contributed over $14 million, one of the largest amounts nationwide, to help maintain the legal definition of marriage as one man and one woman.[50][51] The Catholic Medical Association of North America claims that science "counters the myth that same-sex attraction is genetically predetermined and unchangeable, and offers hope for prevention and treatment."[52]

    The Youth Ministry organization Life Teen has a series of blog posts written on the topic of the love God has for LGBT people, explaining the Church's teaching, and offering advice on how LGBT people can live in harmony with the Church's teaching.[53] It also features a number of entries written by gay and transgender Catholics.[53]

    Gay clergy

    Main articles: Homosexual clergy in the Catholic Church and Gay bishops § Roman Catholic Church

    Homosexual clergy, and homosexual activity by clergy, are not exclusively modern phenomena, but rather date back centuries.[54] Donald Cozzens estimated the percentage of contemporary gay priests range in 2000 to be 23–58%, suggesting a higher than average numbers of homosexual men (active and non-active) within the Catholic priesthood.[55] Instructions from Vatican bodies on admitting gay men to the priesthood have varied over time. In the 1960s chaste gay men were allowed but in 2005 a new directive banned gay men "while profoundly respecting the persons in question."[56][57]

    The existence of gay bishops is a matter of historical record.[58] Homosexual activity was engaged in secretly. When it was made public, official response ranged from inaction to expulsion from Holy Orders.[59] Although homosexual acts have been consistently condemned by the Catholic Church, a number of senior members of the clergy have been found or alleged to have had homosexual relationships including Rembert Weakland, Juan Carlos Maccarone, Francisco Domingo Barbosa Da Silveira, and Keith O'Brien.[60][61][62][63] A number of Popes were thought to have been homosexual or to have had male sexual partners including Pope Benedict IX, Pope Paul II, Pope Sixtus IV, Pope Leo X, Pope Julius II and Pope Julius III.[64][65]

    Political activity

    Main article: Political activity of the Catholic Church on LGBT issues

    The Church supports legislation that conforms with Catholic moral theology and Catholic Social Teaching surrounding issues of importance to LGBT peoples. The Church condemns all forms of violence against LGBT people and all criminal penalties against them, and also supports legally defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The Church is active in local, national, and international forums.

    In various countries, members of the Catholic Church have intervened on occasions both to both support efforts to decriminalize homosexuality, and also to ensure it remains an offence under criminal law. The Catholic Church has been described as sending "mixed signals" regarding discrimination based on sexual orientation. It holds that because of "moral concern," sexual orientation is different from qualities such as race, ethnicity, sex, or age, and therefore it actively opposes the extension of at least some aspects of civil rights legislation, such as nondiscrimination in public housing, educational or athletic employment, adoption, or military recruitment, to gay men and lesbians.[31] It said that such a limitation of rights is permissible, and sometimes even obligatory, to "protect the common good,"[66] and does not constitute unjust discrimination.[10][67]

    Notable lesbian, gay and bisexual Catholics

    See also: List of LGBT Catholics

    There have been a number of notable gay Catholics throughout history. Writers such as Oscar Wilde, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Lord Alfred Douglas, Marc-André Raffalovich, Robert Hugh Benson, Frederick Rolfe, and John Gray, and artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe, were influenced by both their Catholicism and their homosexuality, via the physicality and eroticism of the image of Christ and the idea of a relationship with him. Gay Catholic academics such as John J. McNeill and John Boswell have produced work on the history and theological issues at the intersection of Christianity and homosexuality. Some notable LGBT Catholics are or were priests or nuns, such as McNeill, Virginia Apuzzo or Jean O'Leary, who was a Roman Catholic Religious Sister before becoming a lesbian and gay rights activist.

    See also

    Template:Wikipedia books

    References

    1. ^ Cite error: The named reference msjc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    2. ^ Tausch, Arno, Practicing Catholics and Their Attitudes on Homosexuality. Comparative Analyses, Based on Recent World Values Survey Data (13 November 2017). Available at MPRA Munich at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/82681/ and at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3070320
    3. ^ a b Curran, Charles E.; Curran, Charles A.; McCormick, Richard A. (1998). John Paul II and Moral Theology. Paulist Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-8091-3797-8. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
    4. ^ Martin, S.J., James (6 April 2018). "What is the official church teaching on homosexuality? Responding to a commonly asked question". America. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
    5. ^ a b Reid, Jr., Charles J. (30 October 2013). "Let's Banish Talk About 'Intrinsic Disorder'". Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
    6. ^ Dempsey, Robert J. (2008). The Linacre Quarterly. Vol. 75. Catholic Medical Association. p. 77. IND:30000125071534.
    7. ^ "Paragraph 492". Catechism Compendium. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
    8. ^ "CCC, 2357–2359". Vatican.va.
    9. ^ "CCC, 2357–2358". Vatican.va.
    10. ^ a b Siker 2008, p. 193.
    11. ^ Sacks, David; Murray, Oswyn; Brody, Lisa R. (14 May 2014). Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World. Infobase Publishing. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-4381-1020-2. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
    12. ^ Gagarin, Michael (2010). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece and Rome. Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0-19-517072-6. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
    13. ^ Crompton, Louis (July 2009). Homosexuality and Civilization. Harvard University Press. p. 118. ISBN 978-0-674-03006-0. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
    14. ^ Bailey, Derrick S. (1955). Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition. London: Longmans, Green. p. 185.
    15. ^ Bailey, Derrick S. (1955). Homosexuality and the Western Christian Tradition. London: Longmans, Green. p. 185. cited in Paul Halsall, "Homosexuality and Catholicism Bibliography"
    16. ^ "SUMMA THEOLOGIAE: The parts of Lust (Secunda Secundae Partis, Q. 154)". www.newadvent.org.
    17. ^ Hitchens, Christopher (28 February 2013). "Christopher Hitchens on the death of Pope Paul VI". New Statesman.
    18. ^ Cite error: The named reference latino was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    19. ^ Human Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Lifelong Learning, 1991, p. 55
    20. ^ a b Gehring, John (5 July 2018). "Can the Catholic Church 'Evolve' on L.G.B.T. Rights?". Retrieved 5 July 2018.
    21. ^ Barnes, Tom. "Vatican officially uses term 'LGBT' for first time in its history". The Independent. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
    22. ^ Gallagher, Delia (21 May 2018). "Pope Francis tells gay man: 'God made you like that'". CNN. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
    23. ^ "Don't throw gay children out of home, Pope Francis urges Catholic parents". 28 August 2018.
    24. ^ Sharman, Jon (28 August 2018). "Vatican clarifies Pope Francis comments on psychiatric help for gay children". The Independent.
    25. ^ "Encourage". Courage. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
    26. ^ Kuruvilla, Carol (22 December 2012). "Pope Benedict denounces gay marriage during his annual Christmas message". NY Daily News. New York.
    27. ^ "AROUND THE NATION; Catholic Group Provokes Debate on Homosexuals". The New York Times. 26 September 1982. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
    28. ^ "Boulder DailyCamera.com: Colorado, News, Business, Sports, Homes, Jobs, Cars & Information". Boulder Daily Camera. Archived from the original on 5 January 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
    29. ^ "WYD site limits gay debate | Star Online". Starobserver.com.au. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
    30. ^ Allen 2013, p. 125.
    31. ^ a b Siker 2008, p. 194.
    32. ^ McNeill, The Church and the Homosexual, 4th ed.
    33. ^ "Fired Priest to Pope: Listen to LGBT Catholics' Concerns". 21 July 2015.
    34. ^ a b "Gay Priest Fired From Chaplain Job Asks Pope To Meet LGBT Catholics In U.S". Huffington Post. 20 July 2015.
    35. ^ "Déjà vu: Gay Catholic teacher recalls his firing".
    36. ^ "Archives - Philly.com". articles.philly.com.
    37. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    38. ^ a b "104 Activists Arrested at Roman Catholicism's National Shrine". Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    39. ^ a b Rosin, Hanna (14 November 2000). "Gay Activists Interrupt Catholic Bishops' Conference". The Washington Post. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    40. ^ a b Tracy, Doris (26 August 2016). "Bishop Mark O'Connell: 'I plan on being a happy bishop'". The Pilot. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    41. ^ Sege, Irene (17 June 1990). "Hundreds protest Cardinal Law at ordination". The Boston Sunday Globe. p. 25.
    42. ^ Oransky, Ivan (30 November 1990). "Catholic Students Protest Tactics of Gay Activists". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    43. ^ "ACTUP Oral History Project, Interviewee: Tom Keane, Interview Number: 176" (pdf). The New York Lesbian & Gay Experimental Film Festival, Inc. 24 February 2015. pp. 20–21. Retrieved 3 August 2018. I put my hands out, and suddenly I have the Communion wafer in my hands, and the priest says, "This is the body of Christ," and I say, "Opposing safe-sex education is murder." Then I sort of—I didn't really know what to do, and I think in some sense, some part of me was sort of saying, "Well, fine. You guys think you can tell us that you reject us, that we don't belong, so I'm going to reject you." So I took it and I crushed it and dropped it.
    44. ^ "ACTUP Capsule History 1989". ACT UP. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
    45. ^ Allen, Peter L. (June 2002), The Wages of Sin: Sex and Disease, Past and Present, University of Chicago Press, p. 143, ISBN 978-0-226-01461-6, retrieved 27 July 2018
    46. ^ DeParle, Jason (3 January 1990). "Rude, Rash, Effective, Act-Up Shifts AIDS Policy". New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
    47. ^ Soble, Ronald L. (4 December 1989). "4 Catholic Churches Defaced in AIDS Protest : Vandalism: Caller says gay activists were angered by Archbishop Roger Mahony's condemnation of the use of condoms to fight the deadly disease". LA Times. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    48. ^ "Topless FEMEN Protesters Drench Belgian Archbishop André-Jozef Léonard, Protest Homophobia In Catholic Church". 24 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
    49. ^ "Man sets himself on fire in Vatican". BBC News. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
    50. ^ Smith, Peter J. (6 July 2007). "Knights of Columbus Calls Pro-Gay 'Marriage' Knights 'Embarrassing'". LifeSite. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
    51. ^ Kurwitz, Darrin (12 March 2013). "Knights of Columbus: Standing on the Wrong Side of History, for a Change". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
    52. ^ Thomas Maier (22 April 2009). "Can Psychiatrists Really "Cure" Homosexuality?". Retrieved 23 July 2014.
    53. ^ a b "Life Teen blog". Retrieved 23 June 2018.
    54. ^ Paul Halsall: Peter Damian: Liber Gomorrhianus Medieval Sourcebook. April 2006.
    55. ^ Martin, James (4 November 2000). "The Church and the Homosexual Priest". America.
    56. ^ Richard Scorer, "Betrayed: The English Catholic Church and the sex abuse crisis," Biteback, 2014, p20
    57. ^ "Criteria for the Discernment of Vocation for Persons with Homosexual Tendencies". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
    58. ^ Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality, by John Boswell (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980), pp. 211 f.
    59. ^ Boswell, 214-15
    60. ^ NationalReview Archived 15 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
    61. ^ "Queer:Bischof zurückgetreten (german)". Queer.de. 25 August 2005. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
    62. ^ derStandard.at. "Der Standard:Bischof trat nach schweren Vorwürfen zurück (German)". Derstandard.at. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
    63. ^ Catherine Deveney, "UK's top cardinal accused of 'inappropriate acts' by priests" in The Guardian, 23 February 2013
    64. ^ C. Falconi, Leone X, Milan, 1987
    65. ^ Burkle-Young, Francis A., and Michael Leopoldo Doerrer. The Life of Cardinal Innocenzo del Monte: A Scandal in Scarlet, Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen, 1997
    66. ^ "Some Considerations Concerning the Catholic Response to Legislative Proposals on the Non-Discrimination of Homosexual Persons", Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. July 1992.
    67. ^ Allen 2013, p. 179.

    Bibliography

    Further reading

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Catholic_Church_and_homosexuality&oldid=900987237"