How to be catholic and gay
Whether you feel encouraged or concerned by Pope Francis’s tone toward LGBTQ matters, we can all agree that it’s quite distinct 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 transparent 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 adj 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,
My journey as a celibate gay Catholic
I was a cradle Catholic, but despite eight years of parochial school in the s and &#;80s, my religious formation was weak. Around the time that I attended public high college, I stopped going to Mass. I don&#;t remember hearing anything about homosexuality from the church. I knew that I was gay, but it wasn&#;t culturally safe to be out.
In my senior year of high school, some friends invited me to their Baptist church. I was captivated by the music, which was unlike anything I had heard as a Catholic. (I eventually earned two degrees in sacred music.) That same year, I encountered the love of Christ through the simple message of the Rev. Billy Graham at one of his &#;crusades.&#; I joined that congregation and remained Baptist for 15 years.
I studied Scripture and therefore I knew the passages about homosexuality. I remember hearing two messages as an evangelical, not explicitly, but saturated in the culture: First, real Christians can&#;t be Catholic, and second, they can&#;t be gay. It took me 20 years to
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the world, with approximately 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 United 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 dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the base of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global organization 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 w
Homosexuality
Throughout history, Jewish and Christian scholars have recognized that one of the chief sins involved in God’s destruction of Sodom was its people’s homosexual behavior. 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 behavior of the Sodomites that is singled out for special criticism in the account of their city’s destruction. We must look to Scripture’s own interpretation 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. ), which could refer 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. –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 m