This is the long version of the Order of St. Aelred's (OSAe) reply on the Anti-same-sex marriage statement recently issued by the Vatican.  For the shorter version, please click here.

A Gay Theology Looks

at the Vatican Anti-same-sex Marriage Document

One of the most pernicious aspects of statements from the Central office of Catholicism is the deliberate attempt to maintain the ambience of infallibility around all Vatican statements.

Ambience of infallibility

It’s like internalized homophobia. The gay or lesbian person begins to think, “Everybody’s condemning homosexuals, so they must be condemnable.”  Or, in this case, if the Vatican says something is wrong, it must be wrong.

The Vatican document fighting the spread of same-sex marriage is condemnable because it assumes that the whole world thinks as the Vatican thinks.

They assume that everybody agrees that “homosexuals” are deviants, child abusers, and people with profoundly disordered minds.

They assume that their values are the values of all humankind. And they go right ahead with the sweeping statements about “the common inheritance of humanity.” They teach a certain medieval philosophy in their seminaries and schools, and they assume their philosophy and their ethics and their logic is the only “right” way for all people to look at things.

Common inheritance of values

They speak of a common inheritance of “values” for all of humanity. It’s one of their subtle arguments. “It’s true because it’s always been true, and everyone has always believed it.” That is what they want everyone to believe. But how universal or how common is the “common” inheritance they speak of? There are millions of Moslems in this world who believe that it is morally all right for a man to have four wives. Moslems do not adhere to the “common inheritance of all humankind” on this because there is no “common” inheritance. Since Moslems are a significant part of all humankind, the statement “common inheritance” used by the Vatican has no substance.

Some people do not follow these teachings

The arguments advanced by arch-conservative Cardinal Ratzinger’s Vatican are based on false assumptions and false interpretations of the Bible. Again, they assume that everybody agrees with them that only they are the rightful interpreters of the Bible. The existence of hundreds of church groups and millions of Protestants give ample evidence that the whole world does not listen to the Catholic Church’s interpretations. The large and influential Episcopal Church of the United States in August 2003 approved blessings for same-sex unions. Opposition to same-sex marriage is far from universal even among members of the Catholic Church. In one survey, 41% of American Catholics surveyed did not oppose same-sex unions. Likewise, in spite of church teachings, Catholics masturbate, use condoms, and have same-sex sex. Some things are “sin,” but not everything the Vatican says is sin is sin.

Will destroy the family

Again the pernicious element is their assumption that everybody agrees with them except the deviants. The Vatican’s dread of same-sex marriage is clearly just that – dread. They claim it will destroy the family. That is an irrational statement of dread. 90% of humanity is heterosexual and will continue to produce children and have families according to the Vatican definition, so it is irrational to say the small percentage of constitutionally homosexual people in the world will destroy “the family” by having same-sex partners in a family relationship.

Child abusers

It is libelous and certainly “unchristian” for authorities of the Roman Catholic Church to label all homosexual people as child molesters and imply this as a reason for resisting “families” with same-sex parents. The church was the first to claim that “only a small percentage” of all the priests in the world are child molesters, and thus all priests should be spared the label child molesters. Should not the same argument hold true for homosexuals?

A Christian church

It would seem that an objective of any religion would be to bring its adherents into a relationship or closeness with their God. The attitude of the Vatican toward same-sex unions and toward same-sex love and toward same-sex sex in general drives a wedge between their people and their God. Their people are erroneously led to believe that their God is also homophobic, whereas all evidence is to the contrary – that God’s love is unconditional and all-embracing.

As a Christian church the Catholic Church would be expected to reflect the love and attitude of Jesus Christ rather than create a misleading picture of Jesus Christ. This real Jesus was seen in the Christian Gospel as ever affirming marginalized peoples. This same Jesus was un-judgmental even while hanging on the Cross on which he died. When he spoke to the man next to him on another cross, he did not ask what crime the man had committed. The words of Jesus to that man could well be a model for all church spokespeople, “This day you shall be with me in Paradise.”

Contrary to human nature

The Catholic Church sets itself up as the one to define “what is contrary to human nature” and harmful to society. The Vatican’s claim that same-sex unions are harmful to society does not make it true. Their declaration that bigamy is immoral does not make it true in an Islamic society. Their declaration that same-sex marriages are harmful to society does not make it true in any society.

Unions that cannot be ‘marital’

The document states that justice requires opposition to unions “which cannot be marital.” Their whole argument rises and falls on their assumption that “marital” can only apply to opposite sex partners. This is their definition, not a universal truth. Opposition to same-sex marriage is far from universal even among members of the Catholic Church.

Will cause more homosexuals

Repeatedly the document shows an appalling ignorance of human psychology, especially in regard to sexual orientation. It’s fear that legal sanctions of same-sex unions would cause more young people to become homosexual betrays ignorance of even the basic dynamics of sexual orientation. People don’t “catch” or become homosexuals because other people are homosexual. People are homosexual for mostly congenital or early developmental causes entirely beyond their control.

Wide experience shows that children who grow up in a family with same-sex parents have the same opportunities and abilities for excellence, mental health, and success as children with heterosexual parents. The differential may be the quality of parenting, but not the gender of the parents.

The purpose of marriage is procreation

The document refers to what can be called St. Augustine’s concept of sex and marriage, that is, procreation is a necessary component of sex and marriage in order to fulfill their purpose.

However, the church is inconsistent in its application of this argument based on “purpose.”

Millions of Catholics do not seem to value this argument at all. They go on having sex for sex’s own fulfilling purposes of love and companionship while using birth control measures to prevent the church’s purpose of procreation.

The church is also inconsistent in its application of the “purpose” argument when it does not deny marriage to heterosexual couples incapable of bearing children where one of the partners is sterile or impotent. At the same time the church does not deny marriage to septuagenarians and octogenarians incapable of child bearing. Yet, they use inability to bear children as one of their main arguments for resisting gay and lesbian marriage.

Stating marriage can exist solely between man and woman for the purpose of procreation is part of that pernicious seductive assumption that what Rome says is true. Where can they get that idea? They expect it to be automatically accepted because they say it. Many might be willing to accept the Church’s definition of the Trinity, but be reluctant to have a definition of sexuality which goes contrary to the experience they encounter deep within their own being.

Companionship

But marriage exists for companionship, as the Catholic Church’s acceptance of marriage between elderly partners testifies that they also recognize this. They quote Genesis to say, “Man and woman, He made them.” Of course, no one denies the role of procreation. But the Bible also quotes God as saying in Chapter II of Genesis, “It is not good for a person to be alone.” And therefore no one should deny the value and validity of togetherness for companionship.

Surely, to use an argument from reason, a just God would not deny companionship to 10% or more of the people of the earth. Is it not a blasphemy to make God a sadistic being who would not only deny gay and lesbian partnership and companionship, but would condemn them to totally sexless lives, with no masturbation, no companionship, no sex ever of any kind in any way in their whole life just because they are born with an attraction to the same sex?

Lack genuine affect

The Church’s argument always comes back to the procreation angle. “Homosexual acts close the sexual act to the gift of life.” And even more ignorant of human sexuality comes out when the document says that same-sex sex does not “proceed from a genuine affective complementarity.”

That is a mouthful of hogwash, and, again, such ignorance of human nature should be considered erroneous thinking or libelous. It is a very unreal claim: that same-sex partners cannot “love” one another. Observation, evidence throughout the gay and lesbian world speaks to the contrary. Some researchers have discovered a higher degree of passionate love in same-sex couples than in heterosexual couples in general.

Misuse-misinterpretation of the Bible

The document takes the liberty of saying the Bible calls homosexual acts a “serious depravity.” An unfortunate and unjustified liberty. That is simply not in the Biblical language anywhere. First Rome says certain Bible passages condemn gays and lesbians. It can be said with the same firmness, and with much more certitude, that not one verse in the entire Bible even remotely condemns same-sex love, or even same-sex marriage.

In order to justify calling homosexual acts “a serious depravity,” the document give reference to a list of sinners Paul says cannot go to heaven, such as murderers, robbers, and two Greek words for which the meaning that Paul had in mind is not clear. They happen to be malakoi and arsenokoitai. Many translators render the meaning as “the homosexuals,” meaning the homosexuals cannot go to heaven. This is a wrong translation and the Church falls into the trap. We don’t know for sure what Paul meant. But he could not have meant “the homosexuals” because that word and even that idea was not invented yet in Paul’s time, in fact, not until nearly the end of the nineteenth century. Paul simply did not have any concept of some people being “the homosexuals.” They knew some people did same-sex behavior, but nobody knew there were people called “the homosexuals.” These words could not mean “the homosexuals.” There is every reason to believe Paul was not condemning any love between same-sex partners, but more likely he was condemning worshipping a pagan god by having sex before the altar. And this is not a valid basis for condemning the love of a man for a man and the love of a woman for a woman. Yet, this is the basis used by the church document for calling homosexual acts a serious depravity.

Homosexual acts are ‘evil’

It is saddening to find the document taking it for granted that all agree with the Ratzinger concept of homosexual acts as “evil.” It condemns the legalizing of “evil” and admonishes lawmakers to vote against legislation to promote “evil.” Can any unprejudiced person deny that all sex is good if it is not harmful or forceful? It is good, in fact a gift from God. The use of the word “evil” here is another example of the seductive effort to propagandize the thinking of people that homosexual acts are evil. There is absolutely no good reason for any one to believe they are “evil,” except that the Church says they are evil. A person has to decide if that is a good enough reason.

In the Vatican brand of logic, they say that legalizing same-sex unions puts the state in the position, not only of promoting “evil,” but of harming the common good and devaluing the institution of marriage. None of this makes sense. It is like saying if I declare movie A is good that means I am declaring that movie B or C is no good or less good. They advanced no arguments at all to indicate how recognizing same-sex marriages would devalue heterosexual marriages.

Arguments based on ‘reason’

The document presents a section describing its opposition to same-sex unions “on the basis of reason.” But the reasons presented are unreasonable.

They say same sex unions violate biological and anthropological order. Again, their logic for the “disorder” is the inability of same-sex unions to produce children, “the transmission of life.” The same weak, flawed, non-argument.

The human race is in peril

Yet, again, they use the same premises to say that recognizing same-sex unions will harm society, even implying that if this phenomenon would increase, the continuation of the human race might be in peril. Perhaps that is the most far-fetched non-argument of all. The 90 per cent majority of heterosexuals in society are not going to stop having sex and producing children merely because the state allows some homosexual couples to live together as committed partners. A very absurd argument to say the least.

The existential facts

If you appeal to reason and psychology and down to earth experience of millions of men who have sex with men and women who love women, you have the best argument in the existential reality that these real human beings do exist and do love one another.

The Vatican opposition to same-sex marriage goes on all over the world, but it cannot take away the absolute genuineness of the fact that same-sex love is a powerful force, visible or invisible. It is omnipresent among millions upon millions of people with same-sex attraction in the world. It is a fact of life which causes no harm to anyone, but with its incarnation brings fulfillment to those who naturally experience it.

The Order of St. Aelred (OSAe) is a religious Order "which accepts people of all sexual orientations and ordains women and men to the holy priesthood to serve the spiritual (and sometimes temporal) needs of God's children."  To know more about OSAe and its activities, please send an email to st_aelred_csss@yahoo.com or visit their website at <http://www.geocities.com/staelredmonasterymanila>.