Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: November 01, 2020
As our country gets ready for an historic national election this week – and I hope you will do your civil and moral duty by voting, if you haven’t already done so! – there’s no shortage of other things to focus on. Some are pretty minor in the global scheme of things, such as LSU apparently getting back on track by winning convincingly. Others are deadly serious (pun intended), as coronavirus cases continue to rise again here and around the world. A few are familiar, like hurricanes along the Gulf coast, and others are remarkably rare (did you know a NASA spacecraft landed on an asteroid last week to pick up rock samples for study?).
One thing that occurred a couple of weeks ago were well-publicized comments by Pope Francis. Let me start by saying that his penchant for making “unscripted” statements during interviews and encouraging dialogue even by provoking reactions is interesting. It frankly also is usually disappointing, since it often lacks clarity and context. It seems unfair to leave explanations to the media and others who are ignorant of or opposed to the truths taught by the Church.
The Pope’s remarks had to do with persons with same-sex attraction. First off, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (in art. 2358) teaches that homosexual persons “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.” I am sure that this was the overarching concern of the Holy Father in what he said.
Basically he addressed two things. First, he indicated that those with same-sex attraction ought to enjoy the support of a loving community, the household with whom they live: “Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this,” he said. Beyond this, he noted that society too has a duty in supporting this: “What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.” No doubt he was speaking about issues of legal protection, especially as regards property, housing, insurance, and the like.
Father Ryan Hallford, a young priest of our diocese who is especially astute at analyzing and teaching on this kind of thing, noted “Regarding same sex unions, the Church does not promote or advocate for them any more than she advocates for Catholics in irregular marriages and invalid marriages. One can, without promoting civil unions per se, still want legal protection for those in civil unions. Regarding Catholics in irregular marriages I wouldn’t want to take away those couples’ ability to share earnings, access each other’s personal records, cover each other with insurance, inherit property, etc.“ He’s certainly right about that. Not everyone considered to be “married” by the State really is: the Church understands marriage with greater nuance, often less than the ideal of sacramental matrimony. Yet the common good applies to less than perfect people too.
So, while some people do tend to freak out at any mention of sex, it’s important to keep things in perspective. First, the Holy Father hasn’t changed anything about morality: sexual relations are a profoundly good thing, and in fact part of God’s design when shared between a man and a woman who are validly married. Anything less is imperfect, even if it would not fall into the category of grave sin (although many sexual sins are very, very seriously wrong). Everyone should read the whole section of the Catechism about this carefully (arts. 2357-2359).
Neither did Pope Francis change doctrine in any way (and in fact he can’t do so, since no one can change divine law). The Holy Father has been clear on many occasions about God’s definition of marriage as being possible only between a man and a woman (see art. 1601 of the Catechism). Nothing in his statements challenges this.
But gay people still so often face rejection, even from those who ought to love them, and in some areas of the world they still can be legally discriminated against and even condemned to death for their homosexual orientation. Thus the Pope’s words of compassion are important. While debates about particular secular laws regarding civil unions continue, nothing can change a true Christian’s love for all people, which we means we must look for means to show this love in the best ways possible.
Still always yours in Christ,
Fr. Paul Counce
