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Friday, October 23, 2020

Pope's Comment on Same-Sex Union

Much controversy has surrounded over Pope Francis' comment on same-sex unions.  In the first place, it is important to note that the Pope emphasized that it is a civil union law, not a marriage recognized and defined by the Church.  According to news report, Pope Francis is quoted as stating: 

"Homosexual people have the right to be in a family.  They are children of God," Francis said.  "You can't kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this.  What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered."

Marriage is a sacrament instituted by God and a union between one man and one woman. A civil union between two gay men or two lesbian women is not considered a marriage as defined by the Church nor recognized in the Catholic Church.  Archbishop Michael was correct when he said that the Pope's comment does not alter the Church's ban on same-sex marriage (See article here).  Pope Francis was not declaring that the Catholic Church allow same-sex marriage.  He was  saying that the government should allow a civil union law for homosexuals.  Civil marriages or unions are not recognized by the Church.  

As a matter of fact, if a heterosexual couple who are Catholics were to marry in court, their marriage would also not be recognized in the Catholic Church.  Catholics who marry in a civil court could not receive holy communion.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

 CCC 1631 This is the reason why the Church normally requires that the faithful contract marriage according to the ecclesiastical form.  Several reasons converge to explain this requirement: 

  • Sacramental marriage is a liturgical act.  It is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated in the public liturgy of the Church; 
  • Marriage introduces one into an ecclesial order, and creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children;........

I find Pope Francis to be very compassionate toward homosexuals and atheists.  After all, who are we to judge when we are all sinners ourselves?  Christ is the only one who can judge, and He sat and ate with the cheating tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners.  Nevertheless, how we show our love and compassion toward our brother will also be judged by God. 

Bishop Anthony Apuron did not endorse same-sex union.  He fought against its legalization and won. In his fight, he also showed compassion by telling the truth. The truth is not always easy to bear, but it is better to know the truth so that one can decide on their own, knowing all their options.  After all, God is the truth and tells us the truth, but He does not force us to follow the truth.  Therefore, these are the facts: The 2000 data by the Center for Disease Control showed that sexually transmitted diseases continue to rise among gay and bisexual men (see the report here).  There are also data showing that depression and suicide are higher among homosexuals (See news report here).  It is because that I care about my brothers and sisters in the gay community that I cannot endorse something that would bring harm to them.

While it is true that Pope Francis did not go against Church teaching, one should be extremely cautious of the civil law one endorses.  Sometimes, we think a civil law passed by the government is good but eventually can cause more harm and misery than good.  

There is a reason why marriage (like most things) comes with restrictions.  These restrictions include: 

  1. One cannot marry a young child. 
  2. One cannot marry their sibling or close immediate relative
  3. One cannot marry a person of the same sex
  4. One cannot marry more than one spouse
  5. One cannot marry an animal or an object (non-human) 
Same-sex union is not about equal rights, which is what many gay activists want us to believe.  It is about removing a restriction.  And when you remove one restriction, in time another one may be removed.  In fact, polygamy was already brought to the Supreme Court (See article here).   

I agree that as Christians we should be compassionate toward our brothers and sisters who struggle with same-sex attractions.  In fact, we are no different from them.  Even heterosexuals struggle with the sin of lusting after the opposite sex.  Lust is lust regardless of who you lust whether it is one of the same sex or one of the opposite sex.  As Christians we should follow the example of what our Lord has taught us.  God loves the sinner that He gave His life for them.  We also must love the sinner and leave the judgment to God.  

11 comments:

  1. im not in the NCW, but I’m catholic. But I agree with a lot of what you say here, but I think it’s better if the pope stays out of politics. His endorsement only brought a lot of confusion.

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 4:27 am,

      I tend to lean more toward the conservative and libertarian political spectrum. The Pope and other Heads of state are entitled to free expression. However, many world leaders find it prudent many times to keep their opinions to themselves. Endorsing an American presidential candidate is one of them. Many times, it is best to remain neutral.

      It is possible that Pope Francis is not updated with American politics or has been misled. I recalled that he criticized President Trump for building a wall to keep illegal immigrants out. In reference to Trump’s wall, Pope Francis remarked that it was better to build bridges rather than a wall. I would agree that building bridges between Democrats and Republicans is in the better interests of the American people, but I see nothing wrong with building a wall to keep illegal immigrants from entering the country. If an immigrant wishes to enter the United States, there is a legal procedure in doing that.

      Likewise the pope may be misled into thinking that a civil union law would bring equality to homosexuals. In the first place, the gay movement did not start out as a fight for equal rights. It started out as a protest to normalize homosexuality and have it removed from the DMS as a mental disorder.

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    2. @Anon 4:27 am. Just for clarification, the NCW is also catholic.

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  2. Fr. Fran wrote an excellent article that can be related to your post. We should be careful of the changes we ask for. It can have a bad side effect.

    https://www.postguam.com/forum/featured_columnists/who-s-the-villain/article_659eb00c-0e08-11eb-99a6-f75c28fb862c.html

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 5:21 am,

      Thank you for sharing. I read the article and I also thought it was an excellent article.

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    2. The pope caused quite a stir that AB Byrnes had to come out to explain to the Catholic faithful. I'd like to know how the pope can endorse something against Catholic teaching.

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 8:36 am,

      He did not go against Church teaching because he did not declare that the Church should allow it. The Pope expressed his own opinion, which even he is entitled to do.

      It is possible that the Pope was misled into thinking that a civil union law passed by the government constitutes equal rights for homosexuals. I do agree with the Pope that homosexuals should never be discriminated against in the job market, education, and other opportunities. In other words, a person should not be turned away from a job opportunity because he/she is a homosexual. A person should be hired based on his/her work experiences and qualifications.

      Marriage or civil unions, on the other hand, is different, and we are seeing the impact it already has in some states. By legalizing same-sex unions, homosexual couples are now in a position to adopt children or go through some type of surrogate to have children. Yet, many studies show that children need a mother AND a father.

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    4. The comment was debunked by cna.
      The interview that is taken from was heavily edited in the documentary titled Francesco.
      He was talking to a family about allowing people who are homosexual to be part of the family. That they shouldn't be kicked out of the family.
      And the other comment he was talking about civil unions in reference to finances. Saying that government should financially cover homosexual marriage because they are part of society.
      As far as Church doctrine goes he has never changed it, nor will he ever change it. He has always asked to be merciful so that sinners have a path to come back to God and God can convince them of their sin.

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  3. "We also must love the sinner and leave the judgment to God."

    Yep. The whole message of the pope is to love the homosexual and don't judge them. Homosexuals are always welcome in the Catholic Church.

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  4. Diana, Im not in the NCW but I'm also not part of Junglewatch. But I'm posting here cuz between you and Junglewatch, you have the better attitude. At least, you don't mock people. But how can the Church say they love gay people when they condemn homosexuals and refuse to endorse gay marriage? The world is changing except the Church. How can the Church move forward into accepting gays?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 2:05 pm,

      The Church has never condemned homosexuals. It is the ACT of homosexuality that is condemned. We welcome all homosexuals into the Church and we love them, but we call them to chastity just as we call all single people to chastity. In the same way, God loves the sinner that He gave His life to redeem mankind. But God does not love our sins, and he calls us to be holy just as He is holy. So, the Church also accepts all homosexuals, but it cannot accept sin. God sets the standards for us to follow, but He will not lower those standards just so man can meet them. The standards are high so that man can call on God to help them meet those standards for it is only with God that all things are possible.

      Same-sex Union has already been legalized in Guam. The government has given the homosexuals what they want. They are free to marry in a civil court if that is what they want. It is their choice. But the gay activists or the government cannot force the Church to change its belief on homosexuality or same-sex unions. The Church believes in free will. While I accept the gay person’s free will to marry in court, the gay person in turn must respect the right of the Church to practice their religious beliefs regarding the homosexuality. That is how we move forward into modern times. The Church will not judge the gay person and neither should the gay person judge the Church. Let God be the judge.

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