Why Catholic leaders must speak about dangers of homosexuality
The Church’s position on homosexuality should definitely be that of mercy and pastoral care. But true mercy and pastoral care based on the loving concern for the wellbeing of those experiencing same-sex attraction.
It is not loved or mercy to allow your children to rampantly misbehave without correcting them. Parents will admit that it is often easier to turn the other way and purposely fail to notice misbehavior. But out of love and mercy, parents must correct and discipline their children for the good of the children themselves. So too the Church, especially Her shepherds – the fathers of souls – must feed the flock, must teach the truths however difficult and politically incorrect. That is true mercy and pastoral care.
Silence on the hard truths of homosexuality was specifically warned against by the Vatican. Pope Emeritus Benedict, while he headed up the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, made a public statement directed to the Bishops of the Catholic Church that SILENCE about the Church’s teachings regarding the spiritual harm of homosexual acts presents a false charity which is "neither caring nor pastoral."
The 1986 CDF document titled “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons”, emphasized the necessity of “clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral.” The instruction to the Bishops of the world on homosexuality added, “But we wish to make it clear that departure from the Church's teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral. The neglect of the Church's position prevents homosexual men and women from receiving the care they need and deserve.”
Apart from the numerous medical journals that have pointed out the dangers involved in homosexual acts, at certain times homosexual activist leaders have themselves admitted these dangers.
On Feb 17, 2009, Canada's largest gay paper XTRA reported on a group of homosexual activists who were demanding Canada’s healthcare system pay more attention to the “gay community”
The homosexual activists stated: "We have one of the poorest health statuses in this country ... Health issues affecting queer Canadians include lower life expectancy than the average Canadian, suicide, higher rates of substance abuse, depression, inadequate access to care and HIV/AIDS."
"There are all kinds of health issues that are endemic to our community."
He concluded: “Now that we can get married everyone assumes that we don't have any issues anymore. A lot of the deaths that occur in our community are hidden, we don't see them. Those of us who are working on the front lines see them and I'm tired of watching my community die.”
Beyond any other consideration even those of health, life is all about deciding where we will spend eternity – in heaven or hell.
With such stark reality, is it not a truly loving act to warn those given to homosexual acts or any other sexual aberration that they imperil their eternal life?
A fascinating take on this reality came in 2008, from a famous anti-Catholic atheist named Penn Jillette who is co-host of a very popular television show in North America called 'Penn & Teller'. Mr. Jillette said these powerful words: "If you believe that there are heaven and hell and that people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward ... - how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that?”
The words of this enemy of the Church serve as a reproach to all those Catholic and Christian leaders who, out of fear of being politically incorrect and losing human respect, are silent on the danger of sex outside the plan of God.
