Pope Francis is quoted in a documentary film that premiered this past week. It was a surprising statement that has prompted many questions and a fair degree of confusion.
Pope Francis is quoted in an online article about the film, Francesco, by “Catholic News Agency” as stating, “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered” (JD Flynn, October 21, 2020. “What did Pope Francis say about civil unions? A CNA Explainer”. www.catholicnewsagency.com). He is quoted as referring to same-sex civil unions. How are we to understand this statement?
First of all, formal Church teaching isn’t established and proclaimed through movies, even documentaries, because of how the content of interviews and statements can be edited so that the full context of a statement could be missed.
Secondly, regarding formal Church teaching, Pope John Paul II published a formal statement, through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, about same-sex civil unions and raising children within them in 2003: Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons.
In 2013, in a book by Pope Francis, which was based on an interview with Rabbi Abraham Skorka of Argentina, which is a similar context as the movie interview, when discussing same-sex marriage, he emphasized that “every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help them shape their identity” (On Heaven and Earth, Chapter n. 16).
Furthermore, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, first published in 1992, paragraph n. 2357 distinguishes between the interior experience of people with same-sex attraction and homosexual acts.
The interior experience is of “an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex.” Additionally, “the number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination … constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (n. 2358). Therefore, it is already formal Church teaching to oppose unjust discrimination.
All Christians are to provide encouragement that helps the experience to be less of a trial. People experiencing same-sex attraction are called to grow “by the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace” (n. 2359). Principle among those virtues is chastity. People with same-sex attraction “are called, like other Christians, to live the virtue of chastity” (Considerations, n. 4).
Because homosexual acts “are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved” (n. 2357). Therefore, any statement now by Pope Francis approving of a same-sex civil union must be understood as intending a legal framework to protect against discrimination rather than as a context for approving homosexual acts. Hopefully Pope Francis will be providing follow-up statements to lessen this confusion!
On a couple of other topics, as before, I would like to continue encouraging everyone to consider the various options for voting this year in order to participate in a way that has a minimal amount of stress. Having early in-person voting available at the Guernsey County Board of Elections Office (directly across from Theo’s Restaurant on Wheeling Avenue) can help to provide a healthy setting with fewer crowds. Nevertheless, if you are comfortable with in-person voting on Tuesday, November 3rd itself, please do so. And, please note that there is still a need for poll workers, as noted at the Board of Elections’ website. “Thank you” to all who are able to serve this year’s election in that capacity! And, please note that the Guernsey County Board of Elections has a new website: boe.guernseycounty.gov.
Finally, as noted in last week’s bulletin, this weekend (October 24th & 25th) you will see envelopes in the pews labeled for the ultrasound machines second collection. Checks could be written to “Knights of Columbus Council #1641” with a note on the memo line of “ultrasound machines.” The donations could then be placed in the collection boxes at either the front or the back of St. Benedict Church or in the entrance of Sts. Peter & Paul in Lore City. You could also mail a donation directly to our parish offices with checks addressed in the same way. Thank you very much for participating in this!
May the Lord continue to bless us with joy and peace as disciples of Jesus and to help us always to be ready for the gift of eternal life!