{"id":50430,"date":"2024-02-16T22:02:13","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T22:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/5.capp-usa.org\/?p=50430"},"modified":"2026-07-28T16:50:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T16:50:05","slug":"catholic-teaching-on-homosexuality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/5.capp-usa.org\/es\/2024\/02\/catholic-teaching-on-homosexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality<\/span><\/h1>\n

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by CAPP-USA<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

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Truth in Love<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n


It is often said the Church is not \u201cYes, but\u2026she is \u201cYes, and\u2026\u201d. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This is especially true in Catholic teachings on homosexual behaviors where, for millennia, Church teaching has been consistent.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe God who is at once truth and love calls the Church to minister to every man, woman and child with the pastoral solicitude of our compassionate Lord.\u201d (The Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith)<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lord Jesus promised, \u2018You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free\u2019 (Jn. 8:32).\u201d \u201cA significant number of men and women exhibit fundamental homosexual tendencies<\/strong>. It takes very variable forms across centuries and cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.\u201d (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2357)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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\"Catholic<\/p>\n

Catholic teaching on homosexuality is definitive and consistent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Catholic Teaching: The Truth<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n


\"Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered<\/strong>.'\u00a0They are contrary to the natural law\u2026Under no circumstances can they be approved.\" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2357)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

The current mainstream culture, however, finds it difficult to accept that there is any \u201ctruth\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

This \"most perniciously typical\u00a0aspect of the modern era consists in the\u00a0absurd attempt\u00a0to\u00a0reconstruct a solid and fruitful temporal order divorced from God, who is, in fact, the only foundation on which it can endure.\u201d\u00a0(Mater et Magistra, 217)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

But, make no mistake, \u201c[t]he Church\u2019s doctrine regarding [homosexual behavior] is thus based\u2026on the solid foundation of a constant Biblical testimony<\/strong>. The community of faith today, [is] in\u00a0unbroken continuity\u00a0with the Jewish and Christian communities within which the ancient Scriptures were written\u201d.\u00a0(On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 6)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite this, \u201c[i]ncreasing numbers of people today, even within the Church, are bringing enormous pressure to bear on the Church to accept<\/strong>\u00a0the homosexual condition as though it were not disordered and to condone homosexual activity. Those within the Church who argue in this\u2026are\u00a0guided by a vision opposed to the truth\u00a0about the human person, which is fully disclosed in the mystery of Christ.\u201d\u00a0(On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 8)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Life Without Truth<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n


The consequences of modernity\u2019s lack of acceptance of anything being \u201ctrue\u201d are dire as \u201cthe systematic violation of the moral law\u2026produces a kind of progressive darkening of the capacity to discern God\u2019s living and saving presence\u201d. (Evangelium Vitae, 21)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen freedom, out of a desire to emancipate itself from all forms of tradition and authority, shuts out even the most obvious evidence of an objective and universal truth\u2026a serious distortion of life in society\u201d results. (Evangelium Vitae, 19-20)<\/a>
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\u201cSeparated from God a man is but a monster<\/strong>, in himself and toward others; for the right ordering of human society presupposes the right ordering of man\u2019s conscience with God\u201d.\u00a0(Mater et Magistra, 215)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen man\u00a0does not recognize\u00a0in himself and in others\u00a0the value and grandeur of the human person, he effectively deprives himself of the possibility of benefiting from his humanity and of entering into that relationship of solidarity and communion with others for which God created him.\u201d\u00a0(Pope St. John Paul II, 41)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen human beings set themselves against God, they set themselves against the truth of their own being and consequently\u00a0do not become free, but\u00a0alienated from themselves.\u201d\u00a0(Pope Benedict XVI)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, modernity has lost sight that \u201cGod, in his infinite wisdom and love, brings into existence all of reality as a reflection of his goodness. He fashions mankind, male and female, in his own image and likeness.\u201d (On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 6)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Catholic Teaching: The Love<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n


The Church points to the peace and life-giving path of Christ\u2019s commandments. We owe it to God, our brothers and sisters and ourselves to offer what is true \u2013 and why we believe it is true.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Church\u2019s teaching on homosexual behavior is not meant to curtail love but to enable it<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Church teaching on homosexual behavior represents \u201cnothing less than the work of God himself; and in the complementarity of the sexes<\/strong>, they are called to reflect the inner unity of the Creator.\u201d (On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 6)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

The Church also acknowledges that \u201c[t]he number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible.\u201d (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2358)<\/a> And, she recognizes \u201c[t]here is no worse form of alienation than to feel uprooted, belonging to no one.\u201d\u00a0(Pope Francis, 53)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

So, while \u201cshe constantly holds up the call to perfection and asks for a fuller response to God, \u2018the Church must accompany\u00a0with attention and care\u00a0the weakest of her children, who show signs of a wounded and troubled love, by restoring in them hope and confidence'\u201d.\u00a0(Pope Francis, 291)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

For those troubled with their identity, patience is called for<\/strong>. When a person is on a path seeking wholeness, their search must be encouraged and respected \u2013\u00a0in friendship.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Church also confirms \u201c[t]he inalienable rights of the person must be recognized\u00a0and respected by civil society and the political authority.\u201d\u00a0(CCC, 2273)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is deplorable that homosexual persons have been<\/strong>\u00a0and are\u00a0the object of violent malice\u2026<\/strong>Such treatment deserves condemnation\u00a0from the Church\u2019s pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which\u00a0endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society.\u00a0The intrinsic dignity of each person\u00a0must always be respected in word, in action and in law.\u201d\u00a0(On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, 10)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Read more:<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Amy E. Hamilton: What the LGBTQ+ Community Needs from the Church<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

What does the Bible Say about Homosexuality?<\/a><\/div>
Learn more about Church Teaching on Homosexuality<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
Back to Articles<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\"Three<\/div>

Three Key Principles<\/a><\/h2>

Catholic social teaching is built on three foundational principles -\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity<\/strong>,\u00a0Solidarity\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Subsidiarity.\u00a0<\/strong>Human Dignity, embodied in a correct understanding of the human person, is the greatest. The others flow from it. Good governments and good economic systems find ways of fostering the three principles.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Human Dignity<\/a><\/h2>

This means a correct understanding of the human person and of each person\u2019s unique value. All Catholic social teaching flows from this: the inherent dignity of every person that comes from being made in God\u2019s image.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Solidarity<\/a><\/h2>

Solidarity is not \u201ca feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of others. It is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good\u201d. (Pope St. John Paul II, 38)<\/a> Love of God and love of neighbor are, in fact, linked and form one, single commandment.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Subsidiarity<\/a><\/h2>

Subsidiarity \u201cis a fundamental principle of social philosophy, fixed and unchangeable, that one should not withdraw from individuals and commit to the community what they can accomplish by their own enterprise and industry. So, too, it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and a disturbance of right order to transfer to the larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed and provided for by the lesser and subordinate bodies\u201d. (Pope Pius XI)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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