The Catholic Church and Its Views on Homosexuality
On November 14th, 2009, Canada’s first openly gay Catholic priest, Father Karl Clemens, married his long time partner in Toronto, Ontario. Clemens, who is close to seventy, retired from the Kingston, Ontario diocese after 33 years of service and moved to Toronto to advocate for the city’s gay village. Clemens stated that he was as prepared to handle the inevitable backlash from the Church and some of its followers as he was when he declared his sexual orientation in 2005, and strongly believes that homosexuals deserve to exercise their right to enter into same-sex marriage. (Weese) It is currently estimated that 1 to 3% of the population engage in homosexual acts, however, it was previously suggested that at least 10% of the population was of homosexual orientation. Unfortunately, these studies were flawed indefinitely. (Jones, 249) Topics in this essay will include: the historical views of homosexuality including what Biblical texts state regarding this issue, as well as specific documentation from the Vatican pertaining to this subject. Furthermore, I will discuss former Pope John Paul II and current Pope Benedict XVI’s position on homosexuality, as well as homosexuality within the clergy of the Catholic Church. I will then examine specific literature criticizing the Church’s teachings on homosexuality, and finally gay and lesbian Catholics who are subjected to discrimination within the Church for their sexual preference. Although there has been a growing acceptance among certain Christian denominations regarding homosexuality in modern society, the Catholic Church holds a firm position on this subject that is, “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.” (Baird, 204) It is evident then that although the Catholic Church does not condemn homosexual orientation, it also does not condone
Cited: Catechism of the Catholic Church. London, England: Burns & Oates, 1999. Print Curran, Charles E Dignity Canada Dignité n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2009. <http://www.dignitycanada.org> Jones, Stanton L Jordan, Mark D. The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 2000. Print. Jung, Patricia B, and Joseph A. Coray. Sexual diversity and Catholicism : toward the development of moral theology. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2001. Print McNeill, John J Moore, Gareth. A Question of Truth: Christianity and Homosexuality. London; New York: Continuum, 1993. Print. Nugent, Robert and Jeannine Gramick. Building Bridges: Gay and Lesbian Reality and the Catholic Church. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1992. Print Quinn, John R Weese, Bryan. “Gay Catholic priest getting married” Edmonton Sun 12 Nov. 2009. www.edmontonsun.com 27 Nov. 2009 <http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/canada/2009/11/12/11718161-sun.html>. Williams, Daniel. “New Rules Affirm Pope Benedict’s Stance Against Gays” The Washington Post 8 Oct. 2005. www.thewashingtonpost.com 29 Nov. 2009 <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/07/AR2005100701844.html>.