Cardinal Dew on 'Intrinsically Disordered'

Fr Ray Blake's Blog ^ | 10/13/15 | Fr. Ray Blake

[BlatherNaut]

Dear Cardinal Dew here, not speaking about the family but the favourite of many senior clergy: homosexuality. No wonder Cardinal Dolan says the traditional family is today an excluded minority, even in the Church. Anyhow Dew is uncomfortable with the phrase 'intrinsically disordered', he wants us to find a new way of expressing something which 'even if there is something which is against Church teaching we put it in such a way that is friendly to them...'.

The problem is the Cardinal is confused, the Church is not speaking about homosexual persons but genital acts, which is Church politely, trying not to mention anal intercourse for example, it is these acts that are intrinsically disordered.

'Intrinsic' meaning 'by its very nature', 'disordered' meaning, 'disrupt the normal functioning of' something'. The normative function of the sexual act is, its purpose, is to ensure the human race continues, there is no other way for it to do so. Thus describing homosexual sexual activity as 'intrinsically disordered' is the Church trying to do what the Venerable Cardinal is asking for, finding a language in which the Church is trying to respect those with a 'deep seated' same sex attraction, without getting into highly descriptive language to describe same sex genital acts, if you have the stomach for it you could visit the Terrence Higgins Trust, and view the material they recommend for schools. Affection, love, admiration are not 'intrinsically disordered' but sexual acts are.

What the catechism actually says is 2357 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,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 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. 2358 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. 2359 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. The problem is that this two word phrase says precisely what the Church means, it is also what homosexual people object to most strongly, either because they assume the Church is is speaking about them as being 'intrinsically disordered', which it is not or because they find any discussion of the proper ordering of human sexuality offensive, as some might find even the definition of family .

What the Cardinal is asking seems to be that we do not speak about 'sin' at all, which seems to be one of the great problems of the Church today. The obvious example is to speak about 'second marriages', when what we are actually talking about is something which is directly against Jesus' teaching on marriage, we dare not to use Jesus' language, Jesus is not afraid to say to the woman at the well: For you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. I tend to be a bit afraid of saying that, even when it is more than obvious.

For Cardinal Dew whose thinking, even in this short clip, is decidedly fuzzy, the problem is that for many homosexuals and certainly for the Gay Movement any criticism of homosexual acts will be deeply offensive, even if it is expressed in the mildest terms possible.

Perhaps His Eminence should read this article in Pink News, in which the Pope despite his welcoming of homosexual activists, even kissing and embracing Gay couples or having tea with transsexuals, is still a hate figure. He will be until the Church backs the Gay agenda 100%, and of course rejects anything Divine Revelation might ever had said.

[BlatherNaut]

What the Cardinal is asking seems to be that we do not speak about 'sin' at all, which seems to be one of the great problems of the Church today. The obvious example is to speak about 'second marriages', when what we are actually talking about is something which is directly against Jesus' teaching on marriage, we dare not to use Jesus' language, Jesus is not afraid to say to the woman at the well: For you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband.

[CharlesOConnell]

A Priest of the Diocese of Oakland wrote an article in the diocesan paper taking a conventional view of homosexuality. Another minister in Oakland, had a senior member of his staff delegated to take enema kits to his church’s young men, after using which, the young men had an appointment for a private interview, with the Reverend Jim Jones of the People’s Temple.

[CharlesOConnell]

And now, priests, this commandment is for you:

If you do not listen,

2 And if you do not take to heart

giving honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts,

I will send a curse upon you

and your blessing I will curse.

In fact, I have already cursed it,

because you do not take it to heart.

3 I will rebuke your offspring;

I will spread dung on your faces,

Dung from your feasts,

and will carry you to it.

4 You should know that I sent you this commandment

so that my covenant with Levi might endure,

says the LORD of hosts.

5 My covenant with him was the life and peace which I gave him,

and the fear he had for me,

standing in awe of my name.

6 Reliable instruction was in his mouth,

no perversity was found upon his lips;

He walked with me in integrity and uprightness,

and turned many away from evil.

7 For a priest’s lips preserve knowledge,

and instruction is to be sought from his mouth,

because he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

8 But you have turned aside from the way,

and have caused many to stumble by your instruction;

You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,

says the LORD of hosts.

9 I, therefore, have made you contemptible

and base before all the people,

For you do not keep my ways,

but show partiality in your instruction.

Malachi 3

[G Larry]

Since the plumbing doesn’t work, the behavior is without biological purpose and therefore the result of disorder....which is “intrinsic”.