Catholic views on homosexuality

Homosexuality remains a controversial issue in religious circles. Among Christians, many consider it a sin and against the will of God and purpose when he created Adam and Eve and allowed them to fill the earth by having children. Importantly, Catholic views on homosexuality are not far from what Protestants believe. According to the Roman Catholic, marriage is supposed to be between people of the opposite gender and therefore opposes civil or religious unions of same sex persons. The church also holds that homosexuality provides an environment, which does not favor children and legalization of the same harms the family, which is the basic unit of the society.

Over the years, leading figures in the Catholic Church have sometimes campaigned against homosexuality or encouraged others to denounce the practice. In some cases, the campaigns are characterized by discrimination of victims of same-sex relationships and marriages. However, homosexuality remains a contentious issue in the global church as the church opposes decriminalization of homosexual activity in certain countries and opposes criminalization of the same activity at the United Nations.

An analysis of Catholic views on homosexuality

Catholics respect homosexuals is the same way it does to the heterosexuals and condemn acts of violence and persecution directed to such individuals. While this is the case, Catholics consider every sexual act outside of marriage as sinful and against God’s divine will. Some of these acts include use of artificial contraception, masturbation, pornography, adultery and fornication.

Importantly, Catholics views on homosexuality are based on biblical teachings. They draw their conclusions from the word of God.  According to the book of Genesis 1:25-28, God created man in his own image, male and female. In the same verses, God commands Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth. Genesis further says, “…a man shall be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” These are the very words that Jesus uses when he is talking about marriage in Mark 10:6-9.

Thus, Catholics opine that marriage is permanent and godly fruitful union between a man and a woman who enter a binding covenant as wife and husband. They further see marriage as a sacred bond, which is equal to the love between Christ and the Church. On this account, Catholics believe that God instituted marriage and no person or civil government has the authority to redefine marriage.

Catholicism on homosexual marriages

Although some Christian churches allow gay clergymen, the Catholic Church does not follow the same route. The Church contends that any person who disobeys or opposes official doctrine should not be ordained as a minister of God. Moreover, any man who favors abortion, artificial birth control methods or same- sex marriage is unsuitable for the seminary. Therefore, ordaining a man who opposes the same faith and teachings he is supposed to defend and articulate throughout his life is hypocritical and impractical.

Catholic views on homosexuality are also drawn from the Catechism, which contains all the Church’s teachings and dogmas. The Catechism names homosexuality as an immoral act that contravenes natural law and identifies homosexual tendencies as objectively disordered. Though the Roman Catholic does not regard homosexual tendencies as sinful, it has a negative attitude towards it.

Catholic Views on Homosexuality under Pope Francis

While the Roman Catholic has stood its ground over the centuries on the issue of homosexuality, the same church is welcoming the LGBT fraternity. Two years ago, Pope Francis sent shock waves within the church all over the world when he said, “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” However, these remarks appeared to be in sharp contrast with what his predecessors believed in. Before resigning, Pope Benedict XVI had stated that homosexuality was a threat to global peace.

Under the leadership of Pope Francis, Catholic views on homosexuality appear to be evolving in order to accommodate members of the LGBT community. In recent years, there have been notable moments, which point to this historic evolution. On September30, 2013, Pope Francis said in an interview with America Magazine that God does not condemn LGBT members. On March 5, 2014, the Pope said that the church could be open to civil marriages.

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References:

http://time.com/3975630/pope-francis-lgbt-issues/

http://www.americancatholic.org/News/Homosexuality/

http://www.catholic.com/tracts/homosexuality

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/the-catholic-church-and-homosexuality.html

http://www.hrc.org/resources/stances-of-faiths-on-lgbt-issues-roman-catholic-church

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/24/popes-fine-words-on-homosexuality-are-useless-while-the-catholic-church-still-calls-it-a-sin