Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism

Homosexuality And Roman Catholicism

In Roman Catholicism, homosexuality is considered disordered, in the sense that it is said to be "ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil" and is not directed toward what the Catholic Church believes to be the unitive and procreative purposes of sexual activity. "Homosexual acts," which the church refers to as "homosexuality," are considered sinful because "sexual acts, by their nature, are divinely intended to be both unitive and procreative". The Church also believes the complementarity of the sexes to be part of God's plan. The Church holds same-gender sexual activities to be incompatible with this framework. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that,

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 circumstances can they be approved.

These teachings are not limited to the issue of homosexuality, but form the philosophical underpinning for the Catholic teachings against, for example, fornication, other forms of sodomy, as well as contraception, pornography, and masturbation.

Many Catholics disagree with the official teachings of the Church on homosexuality, and in some locations, such as the United States, show stronger support for gay rights (such as same-sex marriage or civil unions, or protection against discrimination) than the general population. In other locations, such as the Philippines, homosexuality is increasingly tolerated by the younger generation, though most Filipinos agree with the position of the Pope on same-sex marriage.