Homosexualiy and the Catholic Church

Homosexualiy and the Catholic Church

For us in Scotland homosexuality is one of the most prominent issues in Church and society today. Gay-rights advocates and activists are pushing a strong political agenda from the left—job benefits for domestic partners, civil recognition for gay marriages, the right to bear one's own children via reproductive technologies, equal access to adoption, anti-discrimination statutes. At the same time, the government has changed legislation regarding the teaching about homosexuality in Schools.

Sir Elton John made a public attack on Scotland's Cardinal Thomas Winning, accusing him of "ignorance" regarding homosexuality. Writing in the June issue of the Spectator, the flamboyant performer said the cardinal's views were "outdated," and that they would cause people to desert the Church. His outburst followed Cardinal Winning's comments that "gay sex is wrong, because such behaviour is not good for the human person," and that homosexuality is "a lifestyle that can never respond to the deepest longings of the human heart." But Sir Elton, who is openly homosexual, dismissed the views as "ill informed." "Cardinal Winning, and his ignorance, is totally representative of why people are turning away from the Church," he said. "I am astonished to be told by Cardinal Winning that my sexuality is not good for me. As a gay man I am perfectly happy with my sexuality and my life. I can honestly say that the deepest longings of my heart are satisfied." A spokesman for Cardinal Winning told the BBC: "We would say that Sir Elton's views are eminently predictable. The cardinal would not wish to dignify them with a response."

The Catholic bishops in the United States noted in their 1990 document Huma...

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...s reflect many contradictions and problems that need to be addressed within the celibate/sexual system and in the sexual teaching of the church.

There is no area of sexuality more misunderstood, distorted, maligned, and actually feared than the homosexualities. The use of the plural is not accidental. Since we do not have a sophisticated moral and behavioral vocabulary with regard to homosexual development, orientation, and behavior — as we do with heterosexuality — the use of the plural is necessary to avoid glibness and to pursue accurate definition and delineation. Homosexuality is a reality in human nature, in the function and structure of the church, and in the lives of some Christian men, priests, and bishops. It is also that reality, even if frequently misunderstood, that has the potential for the greatest crisis for ecclesiastical integrity.