"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
The only thing that will save the Church in GB is the appointment of a decent Archbishop of Westminster (who is the Catholic Primate of England). The current one, Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, is terrible, but he’s retiring and some very good people have been mentioned as his replacement. Some bad ones, too, alas, so we shall see...
Or this could have the opposite effect: Unsteady Catholics may abandon the Church, but the faithful will remain. Judging by the homosexual lifestyle, I doubt that a lot of them will start showning up at Mass just because the priest promised to try not to make fun of them. In 30+ years I have never once heard a priest go out of his way to insult gays.
Huh? Nothing in Catholic Church teaching has changed. We welcome gay members as fellow Catholics. By "services" provided, the Church ensures that gays are properly taught that they must abandon an active homosexual lifestyle. As for empty pews, the current generation already sees these but not as a result of homosexuals.
A. 1. No. The Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals. In fact, the teaching of the Catholic Church found in the Catechism states that:
"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. 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." (C.C.C. # 2358)
Q. 2. Why then is my friend who lives in a homosexual relationship denied the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist? Is this not condemnation?
A. 2. The Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals. It condemns homosexuality.
"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 great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, [Cf. Gen 19:1-29; Rom 124-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10] tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." [CDF, Persona humana 8] 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. [See C.C.C. # 2333] (C.C.C. # 2357)