Here we find yet another apologia for homosexuality by heterodox Catholics, this time from an Australian online “independent” Catholic journal.
What I find interesting about many of these pieces is how they manage to make statement completely unsupported by evidence or logic.
For a decade or two now most Catholics (including priests) have not believed that homosexuality is sinful – either the inclination or the activity – nor that it is pathological. On the other hand most Catholics (including priests) believe that pedophilia is pathological and that the activity, to the extent that it is freely chosen, is sinful. Heterosexuality and homosexuality are not predictors of pedophilia – just of the gender of the victim. Most Catholics (especially priests) are disappointed with the incompetence with which many bishops have covered up and mishandled this overwhelmingly serious problem. This is why many Catholics (especially priests) are amazed that the Vatican has linked the two and chosen to air the wrong problem with its recent instruction on accepting homosexuals for ordination.
Here’s a few problems. First, their claim—that most Catholics do not believe that homosexuality is sinful is disingenuous since the Church’s teaching is that homosexual acts or the lifestyle is sinful, but only that homosexuality itself is disordered. Second, how can they claim to know how most Catholics think about any issue? Have they polled them? Do they have statistics to support their claim? Or are they simply pulling their claim out of thin air with the rock-solid conviction that since they think they’re right, they must be in the majority.
Third, it is completely irrelevant what most Catholics think anyway. Only one person’s opinion matters—or should I say Three Persons? If God says something is sinful, then it is. And how do we know what God says? Because He entrusted His Word, both written and oral (Scripture and Tradition) to the Church, and most specifically to the popes. And if you don’t buy that, then why are you Catholic? There are other Christian churches who will gladly tell you your sexual perversion is just spiffy and let’s ordain you in a touching ceremony with your partner.
Finally, we have the constant red herring that the Instruction was supposed to be answer to the Scandal. It was not designed to be so. It is designed to address a specific problem, not be a final solution to a much bigger problem. It’s just one piece of the puzzle.
If these are the best objections these people can come up with, they’re in a lot of trouble.
Technorati Tags: Catholic, doctrine, homosexuality, priesthood
Just remember, the fact that all the right people are mad right now is a good thing. They’ve realized that they’re losing their battle of dissent, that the sun is setting on their movement and the generation that led it, and all they have left to do is scream and yell and stomp their feet.
If the dissidents are so mad, it’s a clear indication that the tide is turning, finally.
When did independent become a synonym for heterodox? The National Catholic Reporter also boasts the independent tag as do many other rags.
Independence from the Church is not exactly something to brag about unless your objective is independence from truth.
Dom, for some strange reason, Australia is a duplicate of the dissent movements here in Boston. There is also a VOTF Australia and you remember that John Kerry’s sister campaigned for him among Americans in Australia.
I think it has a lot to to with the Rainbow Coalition which is rooted in that country. So the Australia response does not surprise me, but it also leads me to keep my eye on this connnection.