Pope Benedict criticizes homosexual behavior

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VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict said Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

The Church “should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed,” the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican’s central administration.

iht.com/articles/2008/12/22/europe/23pope.php
 
If he said that in Canada I bet he would be charged with hate speech. It would be interesting if he came to Canada and was arrested. :rolleyes:
 
THANK GOD!!! 😃
I am sooooo happy to hear that. I am not a Roman Catholic (yet) but have been considering it. One of my major stumbling blocks has been how Catholics view homosexuality. The catechism is clear, but the Bishops and Priests sometimes seem to be non-commital on the moral clarity of the issue; not to mention the various, wide-ranging stance of the parishioners. My concern is that I commit to the Church and 10 years from now, they are saying thing like “homosexuals are born that way”. :eek:
 
eichenb2 said:
THANK GOD!!! 😃
I am sooooo happy to hear that. I am not a Roman Catholic (yet) but have been considering it. One of my major stumbling blocks has been how Catholics view homosexuality. The catechism is clear, but the Bishops and Priests sometimes seem to be non-commital on the moral clarity of the issue; not to mention the various, wide-ranging stance of the parishioners. My concern is that I commit to the Church and 10 years from now, they are saying thing like “homosexuals are born that way”. :eek:
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So what if it does declare that they are “born that way”? I was born heterosexual, and I’m still morally expected by the church to stay celibate before marriage. Homosexuality itself is not a sin, but undertaking homosexual acts IS considered a sin. The only difference is that homosexuals cannot undertake the sacrament of marriage because of the impossibility of undertaking the procreative act in a natural way. (Likewise, this would be an impediment to a heterosexual couple.)
 
eichenb2 said:
THANK GOD!!! 😃
I am sooooo happy to hear that. I am not a Roman Catholic (yet) but have been considering it. One of my major stumbling blocks has been how Catholics view homosexuality. The catechism is clear, but the Bishops and Priests sometimes seem to be non-commital on the moral clarity of the issue; not to mention the various, wide-ranging stance of the parishioners. My concern is that I commit to the Church and 10 years from now, they are saying thing like “homosexuals are born that way”. :eek:
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It is not the Church’s place to declare whether homosexuality is caused by genetics, environment, or as most scientists I have read seem to think a combination of both. That being said, the issue is really irrelevant. Despite what science may (or may not) figure out in the future, the Church’s teaching (given below) will not change. You can count on that:thumbsup: .
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 circumstances can they be approved.
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2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, 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. 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.
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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.
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Oh how firm the foundation of truth the Church has given us is, yet it is full of love and compassion at the same time. Simply beautiful.
 
And regarding the media’s commotion about this, I really don’t understand it. The Pope has introduced no new groundbreaking thought on this topic. Yet, with the way the media acts whenever the Pope reiterates a centuries old teaching of the Church, you would think it came as a total surprise.:rolleyes:
 
My concern is that the Church would change the criteria of procreation capability and poof, there goes the defense against homosexual marriage. Also, it understand the recent news about the Vatican saying that states should not pass laws against homosexuality. Isn’t the ACTION a grave matter? Isn’t murder also a grave matter? Can states not ban murder??? :confused:
 
Since this is a short article, I can post it in its entirety, but I’ll also post the source link too:

**Pope: Saving world from homosexuality like saving rainforests

The Pope said that “saving” humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforests. **

In comments at the Vatican that are likely to provoke a furious reaction from homosexual groups, Benedict also warned that blurring the distinction between male and female could lead to the “self-destruction” of the human race.

In his address to the Curia, the Vatican’s central administration, he described behaviour beyond traditional heterosexual relations as “a destruction of God’s work” and said that the Roman Catholic Church had a duty to “protect man from the destruction of himself”.

It is not “outmoded metaphysics” to urge respect for the “nature of the human being as man and woman,” he added.

“The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less.”

The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official described homosexuality as “a deviation, an irregularity, a wound”.

The Pope said humanity needed to “listen to the language of creation” to understand the intended roles of man and woman.

He also defended the Church’s right to “speak of human nature as man and woman, and ask that this order of creation be respected”.

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/3902931/Pope-Saving-world-from-homosexuality-like-saving-rainforests.html
 
And some of the angry response:

**Gay groups angry at Pope remarks

Pope Benedict made his remarks in an end-of-year speech
Gay groups and activists have reacted angrily after Pope Benedict XVI said that mankind needed to be saved from a destructive blurring of gender.

Speaking on Monday, Pope Benedict said that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was as important as protecting the environment.

The comments were “irresponsible and unacceptable”, the UK’s Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) said.

Vladimir Luxuria, a transgender former Italian MP, called his words “hurtful”.

The row erupted as news emerged that the pontiff is to pay his first visit to the Holy Land in May next year.

‘Self-destruction’

Pope Benedict made the comments in an end-of-year speech to senior Vatican staff.

Defending God’s creation was not limited to saving the environment, he said, but also about protecting man from himself. …**

For complete article: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7797269.stm
 
As if the successful of Prop 8 ain’t enough, here’s another lethal dose from the Vatican :nunchuk:

…now watch for the secular bullets to fly
 
The teaching of the Church is correct. But couldn’t the Pontiff have emphasized how much the Catholic Church loves the homosexual. That though a “wound”, they are an important part of the Body of Christ that we can’t do without. Would it hurt to have said, please come home. Come home to where you are loved, respected and cherished as sons and daughters of Holy Mother Church.
You gather more flies ........
 
Bravo. I am so glad the Pope has come out with a statement on this subject. I think the Bible is clear on this subject. The Pope expressed this in a kind way by showing how we are loving our brother and sister by standing for what the Bible says. This IS much like our taking an environmental stand toward saving the rainforest, another creation of God.
 
I’m pleased by the Pope’s statement simply because it clarifies this issue with a lot of Catholics that seem to be confused about it. It makes it much easier in discussions if one can back up their viewpoint with supporting statements by our Holy Father.👍
 
SwizzleStick said:
I’m pleased by the Pope’s statement simply because it clarifies this issue with a lot of Catholics that seem to be confused about it. It makes it much easier in discussions if one can back up their viewpoint with supporting statements by our Holy Father.👍
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Amen!
 
How would you like being compared to a plant? or worse, an environmental disaster. The Pope needs new speech writers. Perhaps his intercom to the Holy Spirit is on the blink.

We still need to learn how to love the sinner as Christ did from the cross/ before they have repented.
 
caoindealbhan said:
How would you like being compared to a plant? or worse, an environmental disaster. The Pope needs new speech writers. Perhaps his intercom to the Holy Spirit is on the blink.

We still need to learn how to love the sinner as Christ did from the cross/ before they have repented.
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The Catholic Church has always taught that we should love the sinner but not the sin. In a society where homosexual acts and relationships are being pushed as merely an alternative lifestyle, as normal and completely acceptable, I think the Pope did the best he could with being charitable while clarifying Church teachings. Being homosexual is not the issue or the sin. Practicing homosexual acts is the issue and the sin.
 
caoindealbhan said:
How would you like being compared to a plant? or worse, an environmental disaster. The Pope needs new speech writers. Perhaps his intercom to the Holy Spirit is on the blink.

We still need to learn how to love the sinner as Christ did from the cross/ before they have repented.
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What are you talking about? Are humans not part of God’s creation? :confused: That is the only comparison made to a plant.

The Pope didn’t say anything about withholding our love from people who have an attraction to the same sex. He only spoke about blurring the line between gender differences and eroding marriage as a danger for humanity. He was 100% correct.

At the same time, we are to love our neighbor, regardless of their disordered passions. We are not to discriminate unjustly. None of that was changed by the Pope’s comments.
 
What you don’t openly declare (such as the necessity to love the homosexual) you denounce by its mere absence from important declarations in a public forum.

This perpetuates violence and hatred as the alternative reaction toward homosexuals.
 
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