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

A Gay Theology Looks

at the Vatican Anti-same-sex Marriage Position

One of the most pernicious aspects of this statement from the central office of Catholicism is its deliberate attempt to maintain an ambiance of infallibility.

Ambiance 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 church assumes that everybody agrees with them that “homosexuals” are deviants, child abusers, and people with profoundly disordered minds.

Common inheritance of values. They speak of a common inheritance of “values” for all of humanity. 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. And the same holds for their condemnation of same-sex love. Their concept of “common inheritance” of values is mythical.

Some people do not follow these teachings. 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. 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. The majority 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. 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. The 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 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 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.

Will cause more homosexuals. Repeatedly an appalling ignorance of human psychology is demonstrated, especially in regard to sexual orientation. The church’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.

The purpose of marriage is procreation.  The church is inconsistent in its application of its teaching about the ‘purpose’ of marriage. 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 inconsistent in its application of the “purpose” argument when it allows the marriage of heterosexual couples incapable of bearing children. Likewise the church does not deny marriage to octogenarians incapable of child bearing. Yet, this document uses inability to bear children as one of the main arguments for resisting gay and lesbian marriage.

Companionship. But marriage exists for companionship also, and the Catholic Church’s acceptance of marriage between elderly partners testifies that they also recognize this.  The Bible quotes God as saying in Chapter II of Genesis, “It is not good for a person to be alone.” 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. Even more ignorance of human sexuality comes out when the document says that same-sex sex does not “proceed from a genuine affective complementarity.” It’s very unreal to claim that same-sex partners cannot “love” one another. Observation throughout the gay and lesbian world speaks to the contrary. Even the Biblical love of David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Jesus and the beloved disciple testify to same-sex love.

Misuse-misinterpretation of the Bible. The document takes the liberty of saying the Bible calls homosexual acts a “serious depravity.”  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.

Homosexual acts are ‘evil.’ It is saddening to find the Vatican taking it for granted that all agree with the Ratzinger concept of homosexual acts as “evil.”  There is absolutely no good reason for any one to believe that they are “evil,” except that the Church says it.

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’s 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.

Arguments based on ‘reason.’ 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.” It is the same weak, flawed, non-argument.

The human race is in peril. They  imply that if this phenomenon of same-sex marriage would increase, the continuation of the human race might be in peril. Perhaps this is the most far-fetched assumption of all. The ninety percent majority of heterosexually inclined people 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.

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.

Conclusion. 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 8 million people with same-sex attraction in the Philippines. It is a fact of life which causes no harm to anyone, but 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>.