No, chastity is not off the table and “The RCC is” not stating anything.
This is an opinion given by Pope Francis in a documentary and a comment on civil unions.
it is NOT a Church statement, leave alone a dogmatic statement ex-cathedra.
Also clearly note - this is about “government controlled civil unions” - not about the Sacrament of marriage. The Sacrament of Marriage is declared by Jesus and not changeable.
So, cop it up to another bad opinion by a bad overseer (bishop) - as Dante wrote, the road to hell is lined with the skulls of bishops.
Sir,
I have respect for you as a Christian, and as a person.
But you need to take the blinders off.
Let me give you a real world example of the Pope’s statement dissolving chastity. Forgive me for changing a few details so as to not embarrass the gentlemen I know.
My kids go to a Lutheran school, and there are a number of Catholic schools in the area. Since we are all Christian schools, and from a liturgical tradition, members of the respective boards sit on the same body that does certification of standards.
One of the things we have been worried about for a while is the moral clauses in the various school/parish contracts. There was a teacher in one of the Catholic schools that was living with their partner in a civil marriage (same sex) who the middle school was in the process of letting go. The woman has sued, and while both parties are keeping it quiet for now it will hit the papers sooner or later.
A board member at that school called me in tears last night. The local bishop, shortly after the press release from the Pope, has said “Rome has spoken, and we have to accept it.”
As a person with authority, Any statement you make is assumed to be “from the corporation”. In a body like the RCC, the Pope is the head. So his private opinion is law, pretty much by definition. Now Francis may be nuts, and it may be rolled back, but in that real world example I gave the moral clauses for employees is gone. All they have to say is “We have a civil union! THE POPE SAYS ITS OK!”
But go ahead and play barracks lawyer on this. Mean while the destruction will accelerate. I am not saying you need to convert. I am saying you must see who you are serving. This isn’t another “bad opinion”, this is going to destroy and split churches, schools, and probably convents if what I have heard is true. Such private opinions of the Pope tend to be become law in a few years. And what will you say when the Sacrament of Marriage is held to be hateful because of its limits? For that is the next step, and it is being taken as I type.
My dear brother in Christ, I am not mocking you. Talk to lightman and see what happens next. Reach out to the local Catholic school principle (if you trust him or her) to see what chaos is starting. Put down the canon law book, and see the real impact of what is going on before you wake up as a member of a church that no longer exist.