Posted on 08/10/2003 12:26:32 PM PDT by sinkspur
On July 31, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document on gay marriage titled, “Considerations Regarding Proposals to give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons.”
Early commentary on the document dwelt on its strong language denouncing homosexuality, and on its challenge to Catholic politicians to resist the legalization of same-sex unions.
In truth, however, all that was old hat. The church’s position on homosexuality has long been known, as has its opposition to any redefinition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Insistence that Catholic politicians must vote “coherently” with their faith was at the heart of the “Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Public Life” issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Jan. 16, 2003.
If there is something new in the July 31document, it is not in the teaching or political stance of the church, but its analysis of the social situation. Whereas previous documents had called the church to arms to fight the legalization of homosexual relationships, “Considerations” seems designed, at least in part, to prepare the church for resistance in situations in which that legalization has already taken place.
It doesn’t take a political scientist to figure out that at least in the developed world, the church is losing the argument.
Twelve European nations today, for example, have laws under which gay couples enjoy at least some of the civil benefits of marriage. They are: France, Germany, Switzerland, Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Croatia. (In Spain, there is no federal legislation, but autonomous regions are free to craft their own policies. Catalonia, for instance, recognizes same-sex unions, but not adoption rights.)
In light of this, the July 31 Vatican document appeals to all Catholics, by no means just politicians, to refuse to cooperate with these measures.
“In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognized or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, clear and emphatic opposition is a duty,” it states.
“One must refrain from any kind of formal cooperation in the enactment or application of such gravely unjust laws and, as far as possible, from material cooperation on the level of their application. In this area, everyone can exercise the right to conscientious objection.”
What might that mean?
In theory, any Catholic whose work intersects with marriage issues — adoption counselors, civil registrars of marriage, even inheritance and retirement specialists — could find themselves facing a choice between the civil law and the demands of their church.
Redemptorist Fr. Brian Johnstone, a moral theologian at Rome’s prestigious Alphonsian Academy, said that Catholic adoption agents would clearly face a conflict of formal cooperation if the law were to give adoption rights to gay parents. The new Vatican document comes down hard on adoption, stating that such measures “would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development.”
Similarly, Catholic marriage counselors would be in a difficult position if a same-sex couple were to seek their services.
A bit more complicated, Jonhstone said, would be the case of a Catholic who works as a civil registrar of marriages.
“You could argue that both ways,” Johnstone said. “You could argue that this person is uniting his will with that of the same-sex couple and hence is cooperating with the marriage. Or you could take the view that he is simply willing the civil effects of that act and not the ‘marriage’ itself.”
Still more complex, Johnstone said, would be a case in which a same-sex couple wishes to enroll their child in a Catholic school.
“It’s hard to construe accepting that child as formal cooperation,” Johnstone said. “But there could be a problem under the heading of scandal.”
In this case, Johnstone said, he meant not the popular sense of “scandal,” meaning shocking people, but the technical sense of inducing someone to commit sin against the faith or morals of the church. In that sense, he said, someone might be able to argue that by accepting the children of homosexual unions, the church was in effect legitimizing those unions and hence inducing people to accept them.
In short, Catholics who work with married couples and their children may find themselves in much the same situation as Catholic health care professionals, who have long had to negotiate matters of conscience on issues such as abortion, birth control, and artificial reproduction.
It seems to me that the vatican has come down harder on the homosexual marriage issue than they have the abortion issue. They have been outspoken about the abortion issue but stopped short of urging catholic politicians and voters to to the line.
I really don't have any problem with this particular document.
It has happened a lot in my diocese, about one Sunday a month at least it seems. Some of the policticking I agree with, but would rather not have my arm twisted when I go to church. A lot of it makes me furious because they have had Maryknoll types and who knows what else they are into invited into mass to solicit contributions, magazine subscriptions, handing out forms to to legislaters to sign before you leave, etc. They've had African pastors soliciting contributions.
Frankly, the parts of it that spill over into politics shouldn't be allowed in any church proper or they may risk losing their 501c3 status. Nobody wants to touch that with a ten-foot pole.
We are (or were) required to subscribe to our diocesan newspaper. Ours is way too liberal for me and I would rather subscribe to something else with the money. If you don't ante up, the parish picks up the tab and I don't like to cause other people to pay my way ever. I cancelled my subscription.
BUMP! Either you have values and believe in them or you don't. If you have values then you make the hard choices that they demand,
Yep. If all prinicpled people would follow their principles, rather than take the easy way out, the "moral sewer" would be eliminated. An avalance starts with the first pebble, a flood with the first drop of rain.
Let's say God gave you 5 kids to support? You are completely financially responsible because your wife can't work. Are you going to quit your job and put the welfare of your children at risk because two fags want to marry?
Nope. Gonna quit my job and find another job where I don't have to compromise my principles.
Just remember to teach your kids the difference between good and evil
Did that.
Save your own soul
God did that for me.
Well you're a lot better at distillation than me because that's one of the most important points I was trying to make in my original post to this thread but didn't.
It infuriates me too, but more than that it makes me feel alienated from the Priests, the Church and my fellow parishoners, which is not a sensation I'm not fond of.
When all this stuff came out about Priests, and the abuse they've heaped on children, I felt as if I were living in an alternate universe where the Priests served the devil and not God.
It was unbelievable to me because the Priests that taught me in school were good, solid, devoted men of God. It isn't that they were perfect, but they were not evil.
Hopefully, these trials just like the personal trials we all face in our lives will make the Church better and stronger. I wish the Church well.
Good timing? Seriously, I do not believe the vatican sent this out as a smokescreen. They have watched this develop for some time now and can't let it go on without issuing a very strong statement, and whatever the faults with the catholic church, this is not one of them imo.
I've read mostly criticism over the statement on the net except for here, even by professing catholics. I find that more disturbing than anything. Western society is about to be inalterably restructured.
I don't think their stand is going to make a significant difference anyway. At least enemies of the church can't bash the church for not speaking out like they have the WWII pope.
Not really and I misspelled a couple words :-(.
It infuriates me too, but more than that it makes me feel alienated from the Priests, the Church and my fellow parishoners, which is not a sensation I'm not fond of.
Nor I. It is hard to chafe against the mainstream. Sometimes I think I need to lighten up. I've been warned that I am too rigid. I wish I could just ignore it. I must try to do that.
When all this stuff came out about Priests, and the abuse they've heaped on children, I felt as if I were living in an alternate universe where the Priests served the devil and not God.
Same here. Some of us may never be able to come to terms with what happened, even if they manage to get things cleaned up.
It was unbelievable to me because the Priests that taught me in school were good, solid, devoted men of God. It isn't that they were perfect, but they were not evil.
I didn't know much about the catholic chuch back then, but I truly believed priests were dedicated men of God. I still believe there are many of the latter in the church and that they deserve support.
Hopefully, these trials just like the personal trials we all face in our lives will make the Church better and stronger. I wish the Church well.
That's true, but in the meantime, we need to try to find some peace about the things we cannot change. I think the liberals will win out unless they are severely dealt with and the rest of us are going to either make some difficult choices or learn to live with it.
I will say one more thing. I do not wish to be persecuted for the bad things that have happened in the church. I am willing to suffer persecution for the truth the church stands for.
I don't agree. I think they will really turn ugly. We ain't seen nothin' yet.
If this pattern continues, I'll be forced to administer the Sacraments to myself. That's ok, if the power to administer Sacraments can be transferred to Deacons, why not to me? (Just kidding - sort of.)
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