The Seven Big Myths about the Catholic Church by Kaczor Christopher

Author:Kaczor, Christopher [Kaczor, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Published: 2012-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

The Fifth Big Myth

The Church Hates Gays:

The Myth of Catholic “Homophobia” and

Inaction against AIDS / HIV

Few topics are more painful or delicate in the contemporary world than the Catholic Church and homosexuality. Perhaps only on a par with a discussion of abortion, the issues raised by homosexuality stir up bitter emotions and intense disagreements. Much of this intense contention is based on misunderstandings about what the Church does and does not teach about the issues of homosexuality.

Many people seem to think that the Catholic Church teaches that, “God hates fags.” For this reason, they also believe the Catholic Church opposes the distribution of condoms because the Church considers the life of gay men to be unimportant and not valuable enough to protect.

These statements are false. The Catholic Church could not disagree more with such statements of bigotry as “God hates fags.” The Church teaches, “It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church’s pastors wherever it occurs.”1 God loves everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, regardless of anything, and this is a basis for the intrinsic dignity of every single person. God’s love includes every single man on earth unconditionally—gay, straight, bisexual, or whatever the case may be. Unfortunately, it is true that some Catholics fail to accept and live out the Church’s teaching on this matter, as in so many other matters as well. However, the message of Jesus, the message echoed by the Church, is that everyone person should love, value, and respect every other person, without exception and without condition.

God’s love for us expresses itself through his creating us and calling us to be happy, truly happy. The teachings of Jesus are meant for everyone; the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus are meant for everyone; the salvation won by Jesus is offered to everyone. Those who believe in God, the God of love, have an obligation to discern God’s will and try to live it out. For whatever the God of love asks us to do, he only asks for our own well-being and the well-being of others. For Christians, God’s love is known especially through the work and message of Jesus. Jesus did not explicitly address the issue of homosexual acts, but Jesus did emphasize the importance of marriage between a man and a woman (Jn 2:1-11) and confirmed the sinfulness of sexual activity outside of marriage (Jn 8:1-11; Jn 4:16-18). It is not surprising that Jesus did not say much about these matters, since his view was typical of the Jewish community of his time, who agreed on the importance of limiting sexual activity to within marriage and viewed fertility as a great blessing. Similarly, Jesus did not emphasize that there is only one God or that one should not kill newborn babies, since his Jewish interlocutors had long ago rejected the pagan practices of polytheism and infanticide. Jesus gave his apostles authority to teach in his name, to point the way to true happiness by doing the will of the Father in heaven.

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