JMJ
Folks,
we have had way too many threads to fail to see where this one is going.
The Catholic Church has explained at lenght- and repeatedly - why Catholics and people of good will must resist attacks on marriage and family as dictated by common sense and the safeguard of everybody's freedom and human dignity, including the freedom and dignity of people affected by the terrible disorder of homosexuality who have a right to help and
truth from their brethren to be liberated.
The Church - with her undisptable record of support, loving reception and spiritual help - cannot be accused of having "persecuted" homosexuals, unless "persecuting" means opposing tiny but powerful and media-supported lobbies that are seeking to reduce Christians to silence and to bring the legal and cultural destruction of family to completion. Such minorities, however, DO NOT represent, and do not coincide with the above mentioned brothers and sisters of ours who suffer daily, especially because of said lobbies and today's culture that push them further down the abyss of desperation their disordered tendencies already put them.
On the unbearable lie of the Church "persecuting" homosexuals and the reasons why Catholics must - always and without exceptions - oppose any form of legal protection of "unions" different from the natural institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman:
Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons Homosexualitatis problema, Oct. 1, 1986Quote:
There is an effort in some countries to manipulate the Church by gaining the often well-intentioned support of her pastors with a view to changing civil-statutes and laws. This is done in order to conform to these pressure groups' concept that homosexuality is at least a completely harmless, if not an entirely good, thing. Even when the practice of homosexuality may seriously threaten the lives and well-being of a large number of people, its advocates remain undeterred and refuse to consider the magnitude of the risks involved.
The Church can never be so callous. It is true that her clear position cannot be revised by pressure from civil legislation or the trend of the moment. But she is really concerned about the many who are not represented by the pro-homosexual movement and about those who may have been tempted to believe its deceitful propaganda. She is also aware that the view that homosexual activity is equivalent to, or as acceptable as, the sexual expression of conjugal love has a direct impact on society's understanding of the nature and rights of the family and puts them in jeopardy.
10. It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church's pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law.
But the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase.
Also very useful for an illustration of the basic principles that inspire the Church's stance:
Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons, June 3, 2003aee also:
Some Considerations Concerning the Response to Legislative Proposals on Non-discrimination of Homosexual Persons, July 23, 1992Other resources can be found in our
Marriage & Family Library. However it is important that we understand what marriage and family are first, to comprehend why we must oppose all attempts to undermine them.
Fabrizio
COL Forum Staff
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