Homosexuality and Catholic Teaching

In thinking about homosexuality and Catholic teaching it is critical to make the distinction between a person’s sexual orientation and a set of activities that two persons of the same sex might engage in.

Sexual orientation refers to which sex one is most strongly sexually attracted to. To the extent that sexual orientation is beyond someone’s control, sexual orientation by itself cannot be sinful. A person can be powerfully attracted to others of the same sex, and still be a good Christian, a thoroughly holy human being.

With respect to activities, marriage is the only context in which any kind of genital sexual relations between individuals can be morally appropriate. To engage in such relations outside of marriage is to commit a grave sin. As such, it endangers one’s relationship with other human beings and with God.

It amazes me how many people resist making the distinction between orientation and activities, but I have been in several conversations in which people have fought hard to ignore or blur it. They insist that to judge acts wrong is to judge other people or even that to call acts sinful is to engage in hate speech. To say that excessive drinking is wrong is not hate speech against alcoholics. To say that speeding through school zones is wrong is not hate speech against distracted people in a hurry. To uphold biblical and traditional Catholic teaching on sexual morality is not judging anyone or hate speech against anyone.

A person who has a homosexual orientation, has a particular kind of temptation toward a particular kind of sin. A part of their Christian walk is to deal with that temptation among the many others that everyone faces. We all pray for God’s help in dealing with temptation, and we all beg for God’s forgiveness should we succumb. We are all called to carry our particular crosses and to unite our sacrifices with that of Jesus.

Under no circumstances is it right to discriminate against someone with a homosexual orientation. Nor does it help to hang labels on people. You could label me "male," "overweight," workaholic," or many other things, but I hope you don’t. I don’t want to be a category. I want to be a person. Everybody has a right to be treated as a person, not a category, not a thing.

I know a number of Catholic people who have a homosexual orientation. Each of the people I know works hard to be a good Christian, struggles with issues of right and wrong, has a life filled with happiness and sorrow, pain and joy. Each deserves to be treated like every other Catholic.