Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality
By Father David Burrell, C.S.C.
Based on information found in "Always Our Children": A Statement of the Bishop's Committee on Marriage and Family by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"God loves every person as a unique individual. Sexual identity helps to define the
unique persons we are. One component of our sexual identify is sexual orientation. Thus, our total personhood is more encompassing than sexual orientation. Human beings see the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart. (Cf. I Samuel 16:7). God does not love someone any less simply because he or she is homosexual. God's love is always and everywhere offered to those who are open to receiving it." In its characteristic way, Catholic teaching attempts to respect both nature and persons in addressing the orientation and situation of homosexual men and women. By doing so, it invites human persons to the full development of authentic and sustaining friendships, yet at the same
time it sets itself firmly against a culture of gratification, and so appears uncompromising
regarding unacceptable behavior. The Catechism of the Catholic Church takes pains to
distinguishes between homosexuality as an orientation, and homosexual acts. It treats
homosexual acts parallel to sexual acts between unmarried people:
Fornication is carnal union between an
unmarried man and an unmarried woman.
It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons
and of human sexuality which is naturally
ordered to the good of spouses and the
generation and education of children (#2353).
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are gravely disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved (#2357).
This is uncompromising language in each case, yet the difference is instructive as well.
Sexual relations between unmarried men and women offend against the dignity of the individuals involved, yet respect their basic "complementarity as masculine and feminine [whereby] man and woman were 'made for each other' " (#372). It is this masculine/feminine complementarity which is normative for the Catholic tradition, and explains why homosexual acts imitative of the marriage act are said to be "gravely disordered." It also explains why the phrase "objectively disordered" appears in the next article, where the wording is slightly yet significantly different.
Homosexuality refers to relations between
men or between women who experience an
exclusive or predominant sexual attraction
toward persons of the same sex. It has taken
a variety of forms through the centuries and
in different cultures. Its psychological genesis
remains unexplained (#2357). The number of
men and women who have deep-seated
homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This
inclination, which is objectively disordered,
constitutes for most of them a trial. They must
be accepted with respect, compassion, and
sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination
in their regard should be avoided (#2358).
This orientation of one's sexual attraction is judged "objectively disordered" because it
inclines people in ways contrary to the masculine/feminine complementarity which the Catholic tradition takes to be normative, and which society normally presumes, so the Catechism suggests that it "constitutes for most of them a trial." Yet the inclination itself cannot be sinful, even though objectively it may be said to be disordered, since it is "deep-seated" rather than freely chosen, with its sources "unexplained," so its being "objectively" part of us can hardly be our responsibility. Moreover, those who have come to accept this inclination as part of themselves may no longer consider it "a trial." So what the Catechism goes on to say about homosexual persons can be said of all human beings, each in their own way: "These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition" (#2358). As the Catechism
addresses living with one's sexuality, parallels and differences emerge again :
Chastity means the successful integration of
sexuality within the person and thus the inner
unity of ... bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality ...
becomes personal and truly human when it is
integrated into the relationship of one person to
another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift
of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity
therefore involves the integrity of the person and
the integrality of the gift (#2337). Homosexual
persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of
self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at
times by the support of disinterested friendship,
by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and
should gradually and resolutely approach
Christian perfection (#2359).
By “disinterested friendship” is meant a caring relationship in which persons look out for
each other rather than their own “interests.” Authentic friendship is crucial to anyone's life, and many persons live in circumstances where their relationships may not be sexually consummated. By recommending authentic friendships the Church encourages those with homosexual orientation to foster relationships which can sustain them in their lives. In this same spirit the National Conference of Catholic Bishops 1998 statement, "Always our Children," calls on families to draw on their untapped resources of faith, hope and love to accept, love and walk together with their lesbian daughter and sister, or gay son and brother.