The topic that undoubtedly arouse the biggest debate in the on-going Synod of Bishops in Rome is “welcoming homosexual person” contained in the mid-term document entitled “Relation Post Disceptationem.” The document is now being used to show a “softer Church stand towards homosexuality” especially with regards to Church teachings on the “unions among homosexuals.” Often cited in his connection is that “homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to Christian Community” so we should provide “fraternal space” for them in our community.
Again to avoid any misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the document which is nothing but a “snap shot” of the conversations among the 200 plus Bishops now gathered in Rome, let me just quote the document itself on this matter as reproduced in the “Zenith” Publication from Rome.
Welcoming homosexual persons
50. “Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?
51. The question of homosexuality leads to a serious reflection on how to elaborate realistic paths of affective growth and human and evangelical maturity integrating the sexual dimension: it appears therefore as an important educative challenge. The Church furthermore affirms that unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the same footing as matrimony between man and woman. Nor is it acceptable that pressure be brought to bear on pastors or that international bodies make financial aid dependent on the introduction of regulations inspired by gender ideology.
52. Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions it has to be noted that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners. Furthermore, the Church pays special attention to the children who live with couples of the same sex, emphasizing that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority.”
The conversations among the bishops also touched the transmission of life, the challenge of the declining birth rate and of education and the role of the family in the work of evangelization. In this regard, the document simply and clearly says:
53. “It is not difficult to notice the spread of a mentality that reduces the generation of life to a variable of an individual’s or a couple’s plans. Economic factors sometimes have enough weight to contribute to the sharp drop in the birthrate which weakens the social fabric, compromising the relationship between generations and rendering the view of the future less certain. Being open to life is an intrinsic requirement of married love.
54. Probably here as well what is required is a realistic language that is able to start from listening to people and acknowledging the beauty and truth of an unconditional opening to life as that which human life requires to be lived to its fullest. It is on this base that we can rest an appropriate teaching regarding natural methods, which allow the living in a harmonious and aware way of the communication between spouses, in all its dimensions, along with generative responsibility. In this light, we should go back to the message of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae of Paul VI, which underlines the need to respect the dignity of the person in the moral evaluation of the methods of birth control.
55. So help is required to live affectivity, in marriage as well, as a path of maturation, in the evermore profound welcoming of the other and in an ever-fuller giving. It has to be emphasized in this sense the need to offer formative paths that nourish married life and the importance of a laity that provides an accompaniment consisting of living testimony. It is undoubtedly of great help the example of a faithful and profound love made up of tenderness, of respect, capable of growing in time and which in its concrete opening to the generation of life allows us to experience a mystery that transcends us.
56. The fundamental challenge facing families today is undoubtedly that of education, rendered more difficult and complex by today’s cultural reality. What have to be considered are the needs and expectations of families capable of testifying in daily life, places of growth, of concrete and essential transmission of the virtues that provide form for existence.
57. In this, the Church can carry out a precious role in supporting families, starting from Christian initiation, through welcoming communities. What is asked of these, today even more than yesterday, in complex as well as mundane situations, is to support parents in their educative undertaking, accompanying children and young people in their growth through personalized paths capable of introducing them to the full meaning of life and encouraging choices and responsibilities, lived in the light of the Gospel.”
There is nothing in the document therefore which would indicate a change in the Church doctrine on homosexuality and the sanctity of marriage. It reaffirms at several points that marriage is between a man and a woman, echoing the words of Christ in the Gospel when He said: “For this reason a man and a woman shall leave their father and mother and the two shall become one.”
On the other hand, welcoming gays simply means that we should look at the sin not the sinner; it is not for us to judge them as we are all sinners after all. The call is that we should walk with them in the spirit of understanding, and compassion. As explained in the conclusion, the “reflections put forward are intended to raise questions and indicate perspectives that will have to be matured and made clearer by the reflection of the local Churches in the year that separates us from the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of bishops planned for October 2015.” These are not decisions made or simple points of view but “the collegial path”…”under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (that) will lead us to find roads of truth and mercy for all.”
E-mail: attyjosesison@gmail.com