>From: FIDELIO@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Jorge A. Fiedler) >Date: Sun, 21 Aug 1994 19:52:01 -0400 (EDT) >Dear QRD sysops: Please post text below to: Index of /QRD/religion/ >Thank you! -- Jorge ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: phalsall@aol.com (P. Halsall) Date: 21 Aug 94 Here is a documentary of attacks on Lesbian and Gay people since Pope John Paul II became pope. This man has attacked us through Church documents and through his personal speeches like no other pontiff before. Papal Attacks on Lesbian and Gay People Since 1986: Church Documents 1986 ***** Extracts from Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS 3. ... an overly benign interpretation was given to the homosexual condition itself, some going so far as to call it neutral, or even good. Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder. Therefore special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not. 7. The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving and live-giving union of men and women in the sacrament of marriage. It is only in the marital relationship that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person engaging in homosexual behaviour therefore acts immorally. 9. The movement within the Church, which takes the form of pressure groups of various names and sizes, attempts to give the impression that it represents all homosexual persons who are Catholics. As a matter of fact, its membership is by and large restricted to those who either ignore the teaching of the Church or seek somehow to undermine it. It brings together under the aegis of Catholicism homosexual persons who have no intention of abandoning their homosexual behaviour. One tactic used is to protest that any and all criticism of or reservations about homosexual people, their activity and lifestyle, are simply diverse forms of unjust discrimination. There is an effort in some countries to manipulate the Church by gaining the often well-intentioned support of her pastors with a view to changing civil-statutes and laws. This is done in order to conform to these pressure groups' concept that homosexuality is at least a completely harmless, if not an entirely good, thing. Even when the practice of homosexuality may seriously threaten the lives and well-being of a large number of people, its advocates remain undeterred and refuse to consider the magnitude of the risks involved. The Church can never be so callous. It is true that her clear position cannot be revised by pressure from civil legislation or the trend of the moment. But she is really concerned about the many who are not represented by the pro-homosexual movement and about those who may have been tempted to believe its deceitful propaganda. She is also aware that the view that homosexual activity is equivalent to, or as acceptable as, the sexual expression of conjugal love has a direct impact on society's understanding of the nature and rights of the family and puts them in jeopardy. 10. It is deplorable that homosexual persons have been and are the object of violent malice in speech or in action. Such treatment deserves condemnation from the Church's pastors wherever it occurs. It reveals a kind of disregard for others which endangers the most fundamental principles of a healthy society. The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law. But the proper reaction to crimes committed against homosexual persons should not be to claim that the homosexual condition is not disordered. When such a claim is made and when homosexual activity is consequently condoned, or when civil legislation is introduced to protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right, neither the Church nor society at large should be surprised when other distorted notions and practices gain ground, and irrational and violent reactions increase. 15. We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses. No authentic pastoral programme will include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral. A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin. 17. In bringing this entire matter to the Bishops' attention, this Congregation wishes to support their efforts to assure that the teaching of the Lord and his Church on this important question be communicated fully to all the faithful. ..... They are encouraged to call on the assistance of all Catholic theologians who, by teaching what the Church teaches, and by deepening their reflections on the true meaning of human sexuality and Christian marriage with the virtues it engenders, will make an important contribution in this particular area of pastoral care. ....... All support should be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous. In assessing proposed legislation, the Bishops should keep as their uppermost concern the responsibility to defend and promote family life. (During an audience granted to the undersigned Prefect, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, approved this Letter, adopted in an ordinary session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and ordered it to be published.) 1992 ***** Congregation for the Doctine of the Faith, Some Considerations Concerning the Catholic Response to Legislative Proposals on the Non-Discrimination of Homosexual Persons Foreword: Recently, legislation had been proposed in some American states which would make discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation illegal. In some Italian cities, municipal authorities have made public housing available to homosexual (and unmarried heterosexual) couples. Such initiatives, even where they seem more directed toward support of basic civil rights than condonement of homosexual activity or a homosexual lifestyle, may in fact have a negative impact on the family and society. Such things as the adoption of children, the hiring and firing of teachers, the housing needs of genuine families, landlords' legitimate concerns in screening potential tenants, for example, are often implicated. While it would be impossible to foresee and respond to every eventuality in respect to legislative proposals in this area, these observations will try to identify some principles and distinctions of a general nature which should be taken into consideration by the conscientious Catholic legislator, voter, or Church authority who is confronted with such issues. The first section will recall relevant passages from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Person'' of 1986. The second section will deal with the applications. I. Relevant Passages from the CDF's "Letter' [deleted] II. Applications 10. "Sexual orientation'' does not constitute a quality comparable to race, ethnic background, etc. in respect to non- discrimination. Unlike these, homosexual orientation is an objective disorder (cf. "Letter,'' no. 3). 11. There are areas in which it is not unjust discrimination to take sexual orientation into account, for example, in the consignment of children to adoption or foster care, in employment of teachers or coaches, and in military recruitment. 12. Homosexual persons, as human persons, have the same rights as all persons including that of not being treated in a manner which offends their personal dignity (cf. no. 10). Among other rights, all persons have the right to work, to housing, etc. Nevertheless, these rights are not absolute. They can be legitimately limited for objectively disordered external conduct. This is sometimes not only licit but obligatory. This would obtain moreover not only in the case of culpable behavior but even in the case of actions of the physically or mentally ill. Thus it is accepted that the state may restrict the exercise of rights, for example, in the case of contagious or mentally ill persons, in order to protect the common good. 13. Including "homosexual orientation'' among the considerations on the basis of which it is illegal to discriminate can easily lead to regarding homosexuality as a positive source of human rights, for example, in respect to so-called affirmative action, the filling of quotas in hiring practices. This is all the more mistaken since there is no right to homosexuality (cf. no. 10) which therefore should not form the judicial basis for claims. The passage from the recognition of homosexuality as a factor on which basis it is illegal to discriminate can easily lead, if not automatically, to the legislative protection of homosexuality. A person's homosexuality would be invoked in opposition to alleged discrimination and thus the exercise of rights would be defended precisely via the affirmation of the homosexual condition instead of in terms of a violation of basic human rights. 14. The "sexual orientation'' of a person is not comparable to race, sex, age, etc. also for another reason than that given above which warrants attention. An individual's sexual orientation is generally not known to others unless he publicly identifies himself as having this orientation or unless some overt behavior manifests it. As a rule, the majority of homosexually oriented persons who seek to lead chaste lives do not want or see no reason for their sexual orientation to become public knowledge. Hence the problem of discrimination in terms of employment, housing, etc. does not arise. Homosexual persons who assert their homosexuality tend to be precisely those who judge homosexual behavior or lifestyle to be "either completely harmless, if not an entirely good thing'' (cf. no. 3), and hence worthy of public approval. It is from this quarter that one is more likely to find those who seek to "manipulate the Church by gaining the often well- intentioned support of her pastors with a view to changing civil statutes and laws'' (cf. no. 5), those who use the tactic of protesting that "any and all criticism of or reservations about homosexual people ... are simply diverse forms of unjust discrimination'' (cf. no. 9). 15. Since in assessing proposed legislation uppermost concern should be given to the responsibility to defend and promote family life (cf. no. 17), most careful attention should be paid to the single provisions of proposed measures. How would they effect [sic] adoption or foster care? Would they protect homosexual acts, public or private? Do they confer equivalent family status on homosexual unions, for example, in respect to public housing or by entitling the homosexual partner to the privileges of employment which might include "family'' participation in the health benefits given to employees (cf. no. 9)? 16. Finally, since a matter of the common good is concerned, it is inappropriate for Church authorities to endorse or remain neutral toward adverse legislation even if it grants exceptions to Church organizations and institutions. The Church has the responsibility to promote the public morality of the entire civil society on the basis of fundamental moral values, not simply to protect herself from the application of harmful laws (cf. no. 17). 1993 ***** John Paul II, VERITATIS SPLENDOR: REGARDING CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS OF THE CHURCH'S MORAL TEACHING (first time the pope addressed the matter personally) 47. In this context, "objections of physicalism and naturalism" have been levelled against the traditional conception of "the natural law," which is accused of presenting as moral laws what are in themselves mere biological laws. Consequently, in too superficial a way, a permanent and unchanging character would be attributed to certain kinds of human behaviour, and, on the basis of this, an attempt would be made to formulate universally valid moral norms. According to certain theologians, this kind of "biologistic or naturalistic argumentation" would even be present in certain documents of the Church's Magisterium, particularly those dealing with the area of sexual and conjugal ethics. It was, they maintain, on the basis of a naturalistic understanding of the sexual act that contraception, direct sterilization, autoeroticism, pre-marital sexual relations, homosexual relations and artificial insemination were condemned as morally unacceptable. In the opinion of these same theologians, a morally negative evaluation of such acts fails to take into adequate consideration both man's character as a rational and free being and the cultural conditioning of all moral norms. In their view, man, as a rational being, not only can but actually "must freely determine the meaning" of his behaviour. This process of "determining the meaning" would obviously have to take into account the many limitations of the human being, as existing in a body and in history. Furthermore, it would have to take into consideration the behavioural models and the meanings which the latter acquire in any given culture. Above all, it would have to respect the fundamental commandment of love of God and neighbour. Still, they continue, God made man as a rationally free being; he left him "in the power of his own counsel" and he expects him to shape his life in a personal and rational way. Love of neighbour would mean above all and even exclusively respect for his freedom to make his own decisions. The workings of typically human behaviour, as well as the so-called "natural inclinations", would establish at the most so they say--a general orientation towards correct behaviour, but they cannot determine the moral assessment of individual human acts, so complex from the viewpoint of situations. 1994 ***** from Catechism of the Catholic Church [English ed. 1994] CHASTITY AND HOMOSEXUALITY 2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They 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 circumstance can they be approved. 2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. 2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. THE POPE'S 1994 CAMPAIGN AGAINST LESBIAN AND GAY PEOPLE POPE VOWS TO FIGHT RESOLUTION ON HOMOSEXUALS -- Sat, 19 Feb 1994 VATICAN CITY (Reuter) - Pope John Paul said Thursday the Roman Catholic Church would fight a European Parliament resolution proposing that homosexual couples be allowed to marry and adopt children. "We can't let this pass,'' the Pope said. The Pope departed from a prepared address to bishops attending a Vatican seminar on the problems of the family to make a clear reference to Tuesday's controversial resolution. Reading the prepared part of his text, the Pope said society could not achieve authentic progress without safeguarding the unity of the family. "More and more public authorities who are alert and far- sighted are becoming aware of this elementary civil and political truth,'' the Pope said, reading his text. He then added in unscripted remarks: "Not all of them (public authorities) however, as we have seen. We have seen and we must react. We can't let this pass.'' It was not clear what the church would do to fight Tuesday's resolution, which was drawn up by German Green deputy Claudia Roth and approved at the parliament in Strasbourg by 159 votes to 96. Two years ago, the Vatican issued a document to contest moves to give homosexuals equal rights, particularly in the United States. That document said homosexuals could legitimately be discriminated against in employment, housing and the adoption of children. The latest resolution, which is not binding on the 12 European Union states, also calls for an end to the prosecution of homosexuality as a public nuisance or gross indecency, and to discrimination in criminal, civil, contract and commercial law. The Pope spoke a day after the Vatican newspaper strongly condmened the resolution in an editorial that said "no man can take the place of a natural mother.'' The L'Osservatore Romano newspaper said homosexuality was an "aberrant deviation'' and children adopted by homosexuals would bear the scars of suffering and frustration. GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTERS HIT BACK AT POPE - 21-FEB-1994 13:52, By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Feb 21 (Reuter) - Homosexuals and their supporters hit back at Pope John Paul on Monday for condemning a European Parliament resolution to allow gays to marry and adopt children. "This is a new example of the Vatican's totally reactionary position on moral questions," said Claudia Roth, the German Greens member of parliament who drafted the resolution. roth spoke of "papal hysteria" that would encourage violence against homosexuals by portraying them as demons. The Pope, in a direct attack on the European Parliament on Sunday, said it had erred by "inappropriately conferring an institutional value on deviant behaviour." "(The Pope's response) to the rapid changes in Western society belongs in the Middle Ages, a period which lived its darkest hours during the Inquisition," Roth said in a statement. The Pope told pilgrims and tourists in St Peter's Square during his weekly address: "With this resolution, the European Parliament is asking that a moral disorder be legitimised." His call for European countries to reject the resolution won support from conservative Roman Catholics. "A relationship between two men or two women cannot make up a real family. More to the point, you cannot grant such a union the right to adopt children who do not have a family," he said. Roth said: "This papal hysteria shows the need for the European Parliament to adopt a clear position in the area of human rights..." Alessandro Pilotti, spokesman for the Liberal and Radical Youth Movement of the European Union, called the Pope's condemnation "absurd, dangerous and unacceptable." "The Pope's message shows contempt for fundamental civil rights," Pilotti said in a statement. Arci Gay, Italy's largest militant homosexual group, accused the Pope of "homophobic racism." It threatened to urge Italy's three million homosexuals to boycott next month's national elections in protest against what they said was papal interference. The Feburary 8 resolution, which is not binding on European Union states, calls for an end to the prosecution of homosexuality and to discrimination under the law. Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli said he was surprised by the fuss because it was inconceivable that the Pope would take any other stand on the issue. He told the newspaper Il Messaggero homosexuals should be allowed to adopt children, adding: "What a person does in bed is noone else's business." Roth has defended the call for homosexual couples to be allowed to adopt children, saying they were just as able to provide an upbringing in a loving atmosphere. She said studies had shown that children brought up in homosexual families or by homosexual couples received a good education and did not necessarily become homosexuals. The Pope rejected this, declaring: "These children are greatly endangered, greatly harmed, because in this so-called substitute family they will not have a father and a mother but two fathers or two mothers." He said the church was against "unjust discrimination" against people with homosexual tendencies but added: "What is not morally admissible is the juridical approval of homosexual practices." The Catholic Church teaches that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual behaviour is. Homosexuals can play a full part in church activity only if they abstain from sex. VATICAN ATTACKS LESBIAN MOMS - Fri, 15 Jul 1994 , by Rex Wockner The Vatican doesn't want lesbians to get pregnant, via artificial insemination or sex with men. On June 22, the Catholic church's official newspaper editorialized: "No child loves being known as the child of an unmarried mother, even less so of a lesbian mother. ... When the child becomes an adult, its conscience will rebel. ... Every child has the right ... to be conceived by the union of two human beings who love each other and make up a nuclear family." The editorial was a response to Italian gynecologist Giuseppe Ambrassa's June 21 announcement that he artificially inseminated one partner in a lesbian couple. She is six-months pregnant. "Homosexuals have as much love to give to children as heterosexuals," Ambrassa told Reuters. The Vatican editorial also said: "The condition of homosexuality cannot be considered 'normal' in a person. One must make every effort to eliminate or correct it." VATICAN BLASTS LESBIAN MOTHERS - By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, June 22 (Reuter) - The Vatican on Wednesday blasted homosexual women who want to have children by artificial insemination, branding this as an aberration of nature. "The condition of homosexuality cannot be considered 'normal' in a person. One must make every effort to eliminate or correct it," the Vatican newspaper said in an editorial. The newspaper was commenting on a controversy in Catholic Italy over a doctor's announcement that he had artificially inseminated a lesbian so that she and her female partner could raise a child. The tough editorial, titled "The Aberrant Case of Two Homosexual Women Determined to Satisfy Their Desires for Maternity," said children would suffer in such cases. It was written by Father Gino Concetti, a moral theologian whose views are close to those of Pope John Paul. "No child loves being known as the child of an unmarried mother, even less so of a 'lesbian mother ... when the child becomes an adult, its conscience will rebel," the editorial said. "Every child has the right to be born into a regular family made up of a man and a woman. The child has the right to be conceived by the union of two human beings who love each other and make up a nuclear family ..." it added. The Catholic Church considers homosexual acts sinful and does not approve of artificial insemination, even among married heterosexual couples. Liberal Catholic groups have criticised the Vatican for strict conservative teachings on sexual morality, including bans on artificial insemination and contraception. Gynaecologist Giuseppe Ambrassa said on Tuesday he had agreed to admit two women from northern Italy to his artificial insemnation programme after psychological and other tests showed they would make able parents. The woman carrying the child is already six months pregnant. "Homosexuals have as much love to give to children as heterosexuals," Ambrassa, who is based in the Liguria region of northwest Italy, told Reuters by telephone. The Pope has repeatedly attacked a resolution passed by the European Parliament in February that gay couples should be allowed to marry and raise children. He has said the resolution seeks to legitimise "a moral disorder." "A relationship between two men or two women cannot make up a real family," he said in February. Several Italian newspapers criticised Ambrassa's action on Tuesday but Italy's homosexual rights movement Arcigay- Arcilesbica said the lesbian couple had performed "a simple act of love." "Being a mother and a lesbian has always been a situation common to many women. The change now is that they no longer want to keep their homosexual identity hidden," the group said in a statement.