Same Sex Celibate Couples

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If two persons of the same sex loved each other, and agreed to live together in a celibate way, would they still be considered a Gay couple? Would the Roman Catholic teachings be upheld? Would they be able to receive Holy Communion?
 
ajaffres said:
If two persons of the same sex loved each other, and agreed to live together in a celibate way, would they still be considered a Gay couple? Would the Roman Catholic teachings be upheld? Would they be able to receive Holy Communion?
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for me they should not. STILL gay and i dont really know if they could receive communion but for me its a no no… a man should be for a woman,. 🙂

it is against the Holy Plan of God
 
They should talk to their priest. Placing themselves in a situation that is a temptation to sin is not something they should do. The fact that they consider themselves a “couple” indicates they need counsel from their priest.
 
Is it a good idea for straight couples to move in together before getting married?

No.

Same idea. Avoid the near occasion of sin, don’t live with someone you’re attracted to.
 
ajaffres said:
If two persons of the same sex loved each other, and agreed to live together in a celibate way, would they still be considered a Gay couple? Would the Roman Catholic teachings be upheld? Would they be able to receive Holy Communion?
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Lots of variables here. Do they hold they hold themselves out as a “couple” in other ways? If so, they would not be living a live compatible with Church teaching. Are there people that might be influenced by their behavior? If so, they might be giving scandal. Are they planning to legalize their partnership with a civil union? That’s not upholding the teachings of the Church either.
 
They absolutely should not live together:
  1. They are placing themselves in the near occasion of sin;
  2. They are causing scandal. That is, they could lead others to sin by making them believe that the church sanctions their living arrangement.
 
This is no law against love, kindness, mutual supportiveness. On the contrary, we are commanded by Jesus Christ to do these things.

It is also, according to the Church, no sin to have a homosexual orientation.

So, my reasoning (fallible) is that if there is no sexual activity, there is no sin, even if other people condemn them and stigmatize them. If there is no sex, they are not a gay couple. They are just roommates and friends.
 
Bartolome_Casas said:
This is no law against love, kindness, mutual supportiveness. On the contrary, we are commanded by Jesus Christ to do these things.

It is also, according to the Church, no sin to have a homosexual orientation.

So, my reasoning (fallible) is that if there is no sexual activity, there is no sin, even if other people condemn them and stigmatize them. If there is no sex, they are not a gay couple. They are just roommates and friends.
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Minus the last two sentences, I pretty much agree with everything said here. Look it up in the Catechism, friends. Homosexuality itself is not a sin; the Church encourages gays and lesbians to remain celibate.

I am a little torn on the living together part, though. My husband and I married outside the Church (yes, my husband stopped receiving the Eucharist during that time). When we were planning our convalidation, we were told that if we lived as brother and sister (ie, celibate, separate bedrooms, etc.) and if my husband confessed our cohabitation (what else do you call it if the Church doesn’t recognize your marriage?) every week before mass, then my husband could continue to receive.

However, if they act as a couple in every manner except sex, then they are still cohabiting, and the Church says that’s wrong.

But hey, my Catholic knowledge is pretty limited… I’m not even Catholic yet 🙂
 
Josiah_k said:
Nothing wrong with friendship`s
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This is more than friendship. The OP is asking about 2 same sex people that love each other and agree to live in a celibate way. I do believe that friends live together, but this appears to be more than friendship.
 
A lot of things to consider indeed. I was reading an abbreviated version on the CCC and it accepts the fact that homosexuals are also part of God’s creation. What they seem to be saying was that the sin was in the act not in the feeling of love toward the other person. The same way a single person needs to remain celibate, I was under the impression, that all the Church was asking homosexuals was to choose a celibate life.
 
ajaffres said:
A lot of things to consider indeed. I was reading an abbreviated version on the CCC and it accepts the fact that homosexuals are also part of God’s creation. What they seem to be saying was that the sin was in the act not in the feeling of love toward the other person. The same way a single person needs to remain celibate, I was under the impression, that all the Church was asking homosexuals was to choose a celibate life.
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You are on the right track. Homosexual attraction is not sinful but acting on it is. However, acting on homosexual attraction is not limited to sex. When you actively try to build a romantic same-sex relationship, you are also acting on your homosexual attraction, even if you remain technically continent.
 
Corki said:
You are on the right track. Homosexual attraction is not sinful but acting on it is. However, acting on homosexual attraction is not limited to sex. When you actively try to build a romantic same-sex relationship, you are also acting on your homosexual attraction, even if you remain technically continent.
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Yes, I would think it’s wrong in the same way that having a romantic relationship with and living with, say, a person who is married to someone else, even if you are not having sex with him or her, is wrong.

If you felt a deep love for that person, the love isn’t a sin, but it would be wrong to act on it, even in a non-sexual way.
 
1/The situation would present an occasion to sin which the Church states needs to be avoided.

… especially when…

2/Sexual attraction of the same sex is something the individual is trying, and should be trying, to be corrected. Trying to avoid the plague is best done in a clean room, not in one filled with open petrie dishes.

Holy Communion? No. Receiving communion presumes an individual who has made efforts and a resolve to mend his ways. The fact that he is at the point of receiving communion presumes he has already been absolved through a sincere penance. If he still receives communion knowing this, he worsens his case.
 
AndyF said:
2/Sexual attraction of the same sex is something the individual is trying, and should be trying, to be corrected. Trying to avoid the plague is best done in a clean room, not in one filled with open petrie dishes.
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Um no, DO you think celibate Priests seek to have their sexual attraction “corrected”? God made people suffering from SSA the way they are. Their challenge is to live out their vocation in chastity (just like those of us with OSA!).
AndyF said:
Holy Communion? No. Receiving communion presumes an individual who has made efforts and a resolve to mend his ways. The fact that he is at the point of receiving communion presumes he has already been absolved through a sincere penance. If he still receives communion knowing this, he worsens his case.
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You seem to be confusing the mere fact of experiencing SSA with sinfulness per se. It isn’t the same thing at all. These poor people do not willingly or voluntarily experience this attraction and in many ways it makes their lives harder, especially in terms of living a Christian life. I would applaud the piety and commitment to God of two Gays who tried to live within the confines of God’s law by living together “Platonically”.
 
BillP said:
Um no, DO you think celibate Priests seek to have their sexual attraction “corrected”? God made people suffering from SSA the way they are. Their challenge is to live out their vocation in chastity (just like those of us with OSA!).

You seem to be confusing the mere fact of experiencing SSA with sinfulness per se. It isn’t the same thing at all. These poor people do not willingly or voluntarily experience this attraction and in many ways it makes their lives harder, especially in terms of living a Christian life. I would applaud the piety and commitment to God of two Gays who tried to live within the confines of God’s law by living together “Platonically”.
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If cohabitation is no good for unmarried straight folks, why should it be alright for gay couples?
 
Havard said:
If cohabitation is no good for unmarried straight folks, why should it be alright for gay couples?
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because cohabitation means living together as husband and wife in basically every way except having a recognized marriage? Nothing wrong with co-domiciling.
🤷
 
Dakota_Roberts said:
because cohabitation means living together as husband and wife in basically every way except having a recognized marriage? Nothing wrong with co-domiciling.
🤷
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If they aren’t attracted to each other, sure.

It’s apparent, to me anyway, that a large part of this is about the near occasion of sin. Many Catholics (myself included) still believe it’s not advisable for unmarried Catholics to live with members of the opposite sex, even if neither is initially interested in the other. Perhaps you might dismiss them, but I’ve (regrettably) lived in a mixed sex flat at least once myself, and I’ve seen more than my fair share of roommate hookups. So it’s not far-fetched at all. Now, when you take two people who actually emotionally and physically attracted… well to me that squarely fits within the definition of “near occasion of sin”.
 
Havard said:
If they aren’t attracted to each other, sure.

It’s apparent, to me anyway, that a large part of this is about the near occasion of sin. Many Catholics (myself included) still believe it’s not advisable for unmarried Catholics to live with members of the opposite sex, even if neither is initially interested in the other. Perhaps you might dismiss them, but I’ve (regrettably) lived in a mixed sex flat at least once myself, and I’ve seen more than my fair share of roommate hookups. So it’s not far-fetched at all. Now, when you take two people who actually emotionally and physically attracted… well to me that squarely fits within the definition of “near occasion of sin”.
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How could someone cause someone they love to mortally sin? Causing someone you love to mortally sin seems like the opposite of love.
 
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