Vatican Rules Out Blessings for Same-Sex Relationships, Despite Calls for Liberalization - WSJ
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, an official handbook of teaching, states that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered,” the inclination to perform them is “objectively disordered” and “under no circumstances can they be approved.” But the catechism also states that gay people “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”
Rocca has exclusively covered the Vatican for the Journal since at least 2015. It baffles me, despite his deep experience, how poorly he communicates the Vatican’s position.
The Catholic Church holds that the sexual bond is reserved exclusively for married couples as a unitive and procreative element of the marital life. Sexual activity outside of marriage is never condoned. This is not an issue of discrimination, the Church is unwaveringly consistent.
The same is true for marriage. The Catholic Church doesn’t believe that marriage is temporary, transient, disposable, or simply a committed friendship. It believes that marriage is the permanent bond of a man and woman for the express purpose of forming a family and raising children. This is why couples must promise to be open to life before the Church will bless their marriage. That doesn’t mean that the couple must have a dozen kids in denim floor-length skirts, but rather that the couple will consent to use their creative powers through a process of discernment of God’s Will for their lives. Marriage is about giving oneself to the other.
The Catholic Church sets the standard for respect of human life, insisting on the universal right to life from conception to natural death and a categorial rejection of the discrimination against or exploitation of any person for any reason.
The teachings of the Catholic Church are applied evenly to all persons and have no exceptions or carve-outs. It’s such a high standard that few of us could hope to be as consistent as the Church is, but it’s a standard worth aspiring to.