More about same-sex union

By Modesto P. Sa-onoy

 

Last week I quoted extensively the article of Cardinal Raymund Burke defining the doctrine of the Catholic Church in relation to homosexuality and the recent private statement of Pope Francis. The Pope, in a private interview, expressed his view that gays may have their own union and family under civil law but did not clarify what the Church teaches as written in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The cardinal said that the Pope spoke as a private person and not under the authority of the Magisterium of the Church and therefore Catholics are not bound to follow him.

Several other Church leaders echoed the same opinion. For instance, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island wrote:

“The Holy Father’s apparent support for the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples needs to be clarified. The Pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the Church about same-sex unions. The Church cannot support the acceptance of objectively immoral relationships. Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and must have their personal human rights and civil rights recognized and protected by law. However, the legalization of their civil unions, which seek to simulate holy matrimony, is not admissible.”

Archbishop Mario Vigano said, “One does not have to be a theologian or a moral expert to know that such statements are totally heterodox and constitute a very serious cause of scandal for the faithful. But pay careful attention: these words simply constitute the umpteenth provocation by which the ‘ultra-progressive’ part of the hierarchy wants to artfully provoke a schism, as it has already tried to do.”

He says the Pope is trying to “raise the stakes” in a crescendo of heretical affirmations, in such a way that it will force the healthy part of the Church – which includes bishops, clergy, and faithful – to accuse him of heresy, in order to declare that healthy part of the Church schismatic and ‘the enemy of the Pope.’”

He also warned “that fighting the Pope on this matter could land some Church leaders in trouble with the law, since in many nations there are laws in force which criminally punish anyone who considers sodomy reprehensible and sinful or who does not approve of the legitimization of homosexual ‘matrimony’ – even if they do so on the basis of their Creed.”

As Catholics, he says, “we are called to side with those who defend life, the natural family, and national sovereignty. We thought that we had the Vicar of Christ at our side. We painfully acknowledge that, in this epochal clash, he who ought to be guiding the Barque of Peter has chosen to side with the Enemy, in order to sink it.”

Further, the archbishop said that “damage that would be experienced by those faithful who suffer from their disordered inclination if the Church were to endorse the recognition of civil unions, approved by the State as a right to have a family…would place an obstacle to the possibility of healing described in the Catechism.”

On the other hand, there are “some chaste same-sex attracted Catholics, feeling betrayed by Pope Francis, are speaking out and urging him to repent.”

Indeed, those who heroically reject homosexuality and chose day in and day out to live chaste lives are now offering poignant commentaries on the harm inflicted by Pope Francis’ remarks. One wishes the Holy Father would only listen to them.

Supporters of the Pope on this issue had also kept silent. Filipino bishops and priests reacted to the Pope’s statement in two ways. One is that the Pope was misinterpreted or his words were mistranslated; however, the Vatican had not said there was a misinterpretation or that the words of the Pope were misunderstood.

The other reaction did not categorically say they contradict the Pope but simply explained the sanctity of the Sacrament of Matrimony and the provisions of the CCC forbidding the same-sex unions, even if it was civil union. In effect, they disagreed without appearing so.

There are members of our House of Representatives that outrightly declared the Pope endorses same-sex civil union as did several pro-LBGT people. Nobody stops anybody from whatever they want to interpret the words of the Pope but Church teaching is clear – no way.