Gay catholics
Being gay and Catholic, a difficult journey 'between two worlds'
Some Catholics life an ongoing internal conflict between their faith and their identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. This issue has change into central to the deliberations of the synod taking place in Rome.
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Antoine knew his persona early on and has never doubted it since. The 39-year-old was 10 when he realized he was attracted to men. Since then, explained the devout Catholic, "everything gets stuck when you don't crave to lie."
"Imagine entity a young, practicing Catholic and having the feeling that hell is all around you, ready to swallow you up if you decide to create the slightest faux pas, like kissing another boy," said Antoine, who still keeps his sexual orientation a confidential from some people, notably in his parish, requesting anonymity like most of those who agreed to share their stories.
Trying to suppress his desires and reconcile them with his faith, Antoine decided to grow a priest. "It also helps to explain to others why, as a teenager, you don't like football, why you don't acquire into fights, why you don't own a girlfriend," he said with a smile. But
Homosexuality
Throughout history, Jewish and Christian scholars include recognized that one of the main person sins involved in God’s destruction of Sodom was its people’s homosexual habit. But today, certain homosexual activists promote the idea that the sin of Sodom was merely a lack of hospitality. Although inhospitality is a sin, it is clearly the homosexual action of the Sodomites that is singled out for particular criticism in the account of their city’s destruction. We must look to Scripture’s own perception of the sin of Sodom.
Jude 7 records that Sodom and Gomorrah “acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust.” Ezekiel says that Sodom committed “abominable things” (Ezek. 16:50), which could mention to homosexual and heterosexual acts of sin. Lot even offered his two virgin daughters in place of his guests, but the men of Sodom rejected the suggest, preferring homosexual sex over heterosexual sex (Gen. 19:8–9). But the Sodom incident is not the only time the Old Testament deals with homosexuality. An explicit condemnation is found in the book of Leviticus: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. . . . If a dude lies with a male as with a woman,
Whether you feel encouraged or concerned by Pope Francis’s tone toward LGBTQ matters, we can all agree that it’s quite different from that of past pontiffs. The pope has left Catholic doctrines on the nature of sexuality and the imperative to live chastely untouched. But he has also made it dispel that people cannot be reduced to their sinful tendencies and ought to be welcomed unconditionally. From openly inviting gay and trans people to meet with him at the Vatican, denouncing brutal sodomy laws, and publicly applauding ministries that serve LGBTQ people, like that of Fr. James Martin, S.J., Pope Francis has done more than any other pope to reach out to LGBTQ individuals. Some view Pope Francis as an “ally,” making gay folk feel content in the Catholic Church by emphasizing God’s love more so than moral rules. Though they may be disappointed that he has not opened the door to sacramental gay marriages, many see his attitude to be a sign that the Church is headed on its way in that direction.
As someone who tends more often than not to be attracted to people of the same sex, I must admit to having mixed feelings about the way Pope Francis addresses homosexuality. On one han
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, with approximately 1.2 billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.
The Catholic Church in the Together States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into 195 dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the anchor of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the Combined States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global nonprofit with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leadership that is entirely male, with women excluded from the priesthood and thus from key leadership roles.