Same-Sex Relationships – Why the voice of the Church matters

At a retreat with a group of teens a few years ago, the issue of same-sex relationships surfaced. It was prior to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that essentially allowed same-sex marriages to be legally validated throughout the United States. A young lady in the group asserted in the midst of the discussion: “What’s the big deal?!” I believe she reflected the attitude of a number of the teens in the group. If the same issue were discussed today, I suspect that the majority of the group would echo the same sentiment. According to the more recent surveys, this would also be so among a majority of the population.

Gallup polls taken since 1996 on this issue show that the general population has moved from a 27% acceptance of same-sex marriage to a current 60%. The level of acceptance among Catholics is consistent with the general population though, for those who attend Mass weekly, the favorability percentage is 23%. Anecdotally, the level of acceptance or rejection does not depend on whether a person is conservative or liberal. People tend to make their judgment more as a result of family members who have same-sex attractions and identify as homosexual. Certainly, media and the entertainment industry have done much to influence U.S. society and transform attitudes toward those who enter into same-sex relationships. In some ways, it is the “new normal.” For many people, especially from younger generations, it is the new civil rights issue.

While there is a greater acceptance in society of those with a same-sex attraction, much polarization occurs as a result of the issue of same-sex marriage. This certainly is so within the Catholic Church. Very trying and stressful incidents have occurred here in Eastern Montana as a result of this underlying issue. Contrary to the assertion of the young lady on the retreat I would say that “It is a really big deal”, but why!?

For Catholics, the guidance we receive comes from several sources, all of which we believe are related to divine revelation. First of all, Sacred Scripture provides very clear teaching on homosexual activity. The New Testament texts commonly cited are 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and Romans 1:22-27. As for Jesus, the Gospels never recall him mentioning the issue, but then, he doesn’t mention an array of other issues either. Jesus was hardly hesitant about challenging authorities on issues, so the general sense is that he simply accepted the conventional norms of his society on this issue.

Secondly, there is the matter of the Natural Law. Though a couple of the same sex may now enter into a legal civil marriage, this falls far short of what is essential for a marriage to take place. Marriage demands, not only that the couple have an ability to love each other, but that the possibility exists, because of their nature as male and female, to naturally bear children. It is one of the reasons why Pope Francis affirmed in his recent Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia: On Love in the Family: “…there are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family” (#251). It is important to note that the issue is not about attraction, but activity reserved solely for the married state of a husband and wife.

I read an article last week on the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation. The writer was disappointed with Pope Francis in that he did not take a more compassionate and open stance toward those in same-sex relationships. The writer recalled that the Pope had once made a statement, “Who am I to judge?” Of course, the Pope’s statement was taken quite out of context. What he said was: “A gay person who is seeking God, who is of good will – well, who am I to judge him? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says one must not marginalize these persons, they must be integrated into society.” Pope Francis more recently affirmed in his book, The Name of God is Mercy, that he was referring to the teaching from the Catechism of the Catholic Church when he made that comment.

In addition to the reference to this comment a couple of years ago, I believe it is helpful to read what he says in the recent Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Latitia:

[God’s mercy] is a matter of reaching out to everyone, of needing to help each person find his or her proper way of participating in the ecclesial community and thus to experience being touched by an “unmerited, unconditional and gratuitous” mercy. No one can be condemned for ever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel! Here I am not speaking only of the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in whatever situation they find themselves. Naturally, if someone flaunts an objective sin as if it were part of the Christian ideal, or wants to impose something other than what the Church teaches, he or she can in no way presume to teach or preach to others; this is a case of something which separates from the community (cf. Mt 18:17). Such a person needs to listen once more to the Gospel message and its call to conversion. Yet even for that person there can be some way of taking part in the life of community, whether in social service, prayer meetings or another way that his or her own initiative, together with the discernment of the parish priest, may suggest (#297).

As for society in general, the horse definitely seems to be out of the barn on this issue. Sadly, it seems to be the tip of the iceberg in a world in which too many individuals are often confused about who they are as created by God. I would have to reaffirm that it really is a big deal. But how does the Church address the issue? My answer is to try to integrate people as much as possible in the way the Pope Francis has consistently outlined. If someone is deeply serious about following Christ, they must honestly “listen to the Gospel message and its call to conversion” as well as adhering to the Apostolic teaching of the Church.