Marriage between one man and one woman
UPDATED: Oct. 30th
There has been some confusion over some recent remarks that Pope Francis made about so-called "civil unions" of homosexual couples.
Here are some notes that I hope will help to clarify the situation.
* The Church's teaching is clear, unequivocal and unchangeable that homosexual acts are always gravely immoral.
* The Church's teaching is clear, unequivocal and unchangeable that entering into a same-sex (so-called) marriage can never be permissible. Marriage, by its very nature, can only be between one man and one woman.
* As a general principle, the secular media (outlets such as the Cincinnati Enquirer, National Public Radio, CNN and so on) do not get the stories correct. Many are anti-Catholic and have an "agenda" to advance, so don't always report what the Pope says accurately or take quotes out of context. Be very skeptical of what they report about the Church.
* I recommend good Catholic media instead, such as Our Sunday Visitor or the National Catholic Register. Note: It is best to avoid the similarly named National Catholic Reporter, which also has very biased reporting and often attacks Church teaching).
* Some specific articles I recommend from those publications
- https://www.osvnews.com/2020/10/23/being-pope-doesnt-protect-against-prudential-missteps/
- https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/pope-francis-didn-t-change-church-teaching-on-marriage
* The Pope was speaking not about same-sex (so-called) marriage. Again, the Church's unchangeable teaching is that m it is gravely contrary to the natural law and God's law for two people of the same sex to enter into a (so-called) "marriage."
* The question at hand is about "civil unions" -- an attempt to confer certain legal benefits and protections similar to those given in marriage to two people in a relationship which is not marriage (for example, automatic inheritance rights). In many cases, this has been proposed for homosexual persons as an alternative to marriage.
* The Church's current teaching stands firmly against same-sex civil unions when they simulate marriage . This was clearly stated by the Vatican's congregation (department) on teaching the faith in 2003, in its document on legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons.
I encourage you to read that document if you have questions, and especially the conclusion which says, in part,
The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society.
* It is worth noting that if civil unions were proposed in such a way that they were not simulations of marriage (for example, if they were broadened to include any two adults in a commitment of permanent care for each other, such as adult brother and sister or parent and adult child, then it might be permissible for the state to include homosexual persons in such an arrangement.
* It is important to remember that the Pope was speaking "off the cuff," in a setting that was not proclaiming a teaching, so the Church's teaching from 2003 still stands.
* Some more informative articles on the topic
- https://www.catholicleague.org/pope-weighs-in-on-civil-unions-for-gays/
- https://www.catholicleague.org/make-civil-unions-inclusive/
- https://sfarchdiocese.org/documents/2020/10/The%20Role%20of%20Civil%20Unions%20Oct%2021%202020.pdf
* Here is the statement from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati regarding the recent remarks of Pope Francis
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has no comment regarding the reported remarks by Pope Francis in the documentary, Francesco.
Whenever the Holy Father has new pastoral direction to communicate, he conveys it to the bishops directly. Archbishop Schnurr has received no such information on this matter, and the Catholic teaching of the nature of marriage between a man and a woman is unchanging.
