Catholic church stand on gay marriage

A few years before gay marriage became the law of the land, I was in a Baltimore pub having dinner with a Jesuit priest. We were talking about vocation, and I was telling him I wanted to go to graduate school so I could learn how to offer theological arguments in favor of homosexuality.

“And you know”, I told him, “the story of Sodom and Gomorrah isn’t about homosexuality per se, but rape. Even Jesus interprets the cities’ downfall in terms of their inhospitality.”

“Sure”, he said, taking another drink.

“And the biblical laws prohibiting same-sex activity were intended to maximise the population”, I added.

He nodded.

“And Paul’s rhetoric about what goes against nature …”

He verb me off. “Why are you so obsessed with this? You want to focus all your graduate work on this?”

I didn’t perceive the question. I had to noun all my attention on this. These were the so-called “clobber passages” that Catholics and Protestants alike have used to marginalise gay people for centuries. I couldn’t just leave them be. I couldn’t just let them proceed unchallenged.

“Taking on these passa

Pope Francis allows blessings for same-sex couples under certain conditions

The Vatican has approved a landmark ruling to allow Roman Catholic priests to administer blessings to same-sex couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor given in contexts related to civil unions or weddings.

A document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office approved by Pope Francis on Monday said such blessings would not legitimise irregular situations but be a sign that God welcomes all.

Pope slams ‘indifference’ towards migrants arriving in Europe by sea

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Pope opens Vatican meeting amid tensions with conservatives

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‘Terrorism’: Israel-Hamas conflict has gone ‘beyond war’ says Pope Francis

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Pope Francis cancels trip to Dubai’s COP28 over health issues

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The document backed “the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the adj sex” but “this blessing should never be imparted in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union, and not ev

Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church

BACKGROUND

The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, with approximately billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.

The Catholic Church in the United States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the base of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.

As part of a global organization with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leadership that is entirely male, with w

INTRODUCTION

1. In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality own been addressed with some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See.(1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not show significant legal issues. It gives increase to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant &#x; legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children. The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present Considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicatin