While Catholicism does not condemn homosexuality outright, its teaching is that homosexual acts “are intrinsically disordered”. The Catechism of the Catholic church states unequivocally: “Under no circumstances can they be approved.”
So, the Catholic church believes they can’t “approve” homosexual acts, that such acts are “disordered,” but homosexual acts are apparently not “sinful,” or they would be condemned by the Catholic church and God “outright?”
What do you Catholics have to say about this? Protestants would say the Bible is all that need condemn it. Apparently the Pope and the Catholic church don’t see homosexual acts as sinful, so does this mean that God and Christ don’t have a problem with such acts?
I have no idea what the catholic stand is from a dogma point of view. Maybe a Catholic can tell us.
I am -- yes -- an actual Catholic. Really, truly.
Nothing in the mass media, especially nothing in the UK mass media, and most especially not the Guardian -- a socialist newspaper -- is a reliable source of information on anything Catholic, most particularly doctrine.
Catholic teaching is that all sexual acts, except for marital intercourse open to life, are "gravely disordered". That's moral theologian-speak for, "If you do them freely and know what you're doing, they're seriously sinful."
Homosexual acts are additionally "intrinsically disordered," which means that the act itself is what is wrong, and can't be "fixed" by a different set of circumstances. (Unlike, e.g., heterosexual sex outside marriage, which is the same act that married people do.)
When the article says "Catholicism does not condemn homosexuality outright", what they are apparently pointing out is that the Church does not say that a homosexual orientation is sinful. It's not; it's merely a specific kind of temptation to a particular kind of sin, just like kleptomania is a specific kind of temptation to the particular sin of theft.
I hope that makes the situation a bit clearer.
Nah, that’s not the Church talking, it’s the Communist Guardian, taking the Church’s words and, of course, twisting them.
Homosexuality is a disorder, and homosexual acts are intrinsically evil and sinful. In brief, the Church teaches that homosexuals should try to change, but if they cannot, then they should refrain from homosexual acts.
Where the Guardian gets its twist from is that the Church teaches that homosexuals are not evil per se, but disordered. The evil is if they give in to their urges and act on them. But homosexuals should be helped, not attacked. The basic principle is “Hate the sin but not the sinner.”
no - what the church teaches is that having the homosexual attraction itself is not “sinful” unless it is acted upon.
Similarly - being tempted to drink too much alcohol is not, itself, a sin - unless acted upon.
The homosexuality is considered a disordered nature - something that causes internal struggle, but is not considered “sinful” until the person engages in the behavior.
The Guardian has its journalistic head up its posterior.
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.
In quick terms:
Someone who is tempted to commit sodomy is not committing a sin by being afflicted by such temptation.
Someone who commits sodomy sins gravely.
You’ve interpreted the Church’s teaching incorrectly. Let me make a clarification for you. According to the Catholic Church, the attraction to members of one’s own sex is not considered sinful, but disordered. Homosexuals are called to live chaste, celibate lives and they are alike in human dignity as the rest of us sinners. When individuals act on those disordered desires, the homosexual ACT is indeed sinful in the eyes of the Catholic church, and just as grave a sin as any sexual intercourse outside the banns of marriage.
FWIW, I have an aunt that is a lesbian. She suffered sexual abuse at a young age, suffered from mental instability through her teens, and was pretty much forced into an arranged marriage to an SOB that beat her on a regular basis. She ultimately got divorced, and not surprisingly, given her history, later came out as a lesbian. She lived with a woman partner for many years until she was dumped. She saw the error of her ways, reconciled with the Church, disavowed the homosexual lifestyle, but still struggles with same sex attraction. She lives a celibate life and is active in her local Catholic Church, not as an activist, but in quiet humility in service to our Lord.
For those who struggle with same sex attraction but wish to live in communion with the Church, they should contact the local chapter of the Courage ministry.
So, the Catholic church believes they can’t “approve” homosexual acts, that such acts are “disordered,” but homosexual acts are apparently not “sinful,” or they would be condemned by the Catholic church and God “outright?”
Bingo. This coziness with homosexuality is nourished by a "celibate" priestcraft which actually accords the title of "alter Christus" ("another Christ") to these men.