The Jesuit Post Editorializes on DOMA

Since the piece contrasts the jubilant reactions of "our friends" with the morbidity of the Catholic bishops, it is quite obvious which circles the authors frequent. But surely there are many Catholics--jubilant ones, even--who support what is now called "traditional" marriage . . . and even some who support the legislation to prevent redefinition of marriage that has passed in many states and was supposedly protected by DOMA. Since feelings are apparently the litmus test for moral truth here, do the feelings of these people not count?

So much for standing up for Truth, not that anything substantial was expected.

"Tragic because it obscures the more fundamental truth of God’s love that the Church is missioned to proclaim, and tragic because it sidelines any real contribution of the Church’s teaching to the marriage debate. But most of all, it is tragic because it makes gay people and those who support them feel like the Church does not value them. And that is simply not true." How does the Church value the dignity of gay people and profess the love of Christ when they assert with moral certainty that people with a same sex orientation is a distorted nature and homosexuality is intrinsically evil. Let's face it, sex outside of marriage is immoral and sinful for anyone, gay or straight. The Church teaches that sexual relations in heterosexual marriages are moral and licit. Yet, the Church denies the legitimacy of a faithful, committed and loving civil marriage between people with a same sex orientation and teaches that the salvation of same sex people is linked to a lifetime of sexual abstinence. Celibacy or lifetime sexual abstinence is a gift from God given to the very few. No one remotely believes that God infuses same sex individuals with the infused virtue of chastity/temperance. For one thing, sexual abstinence and celibacy can only work when it is voluntarily chosen and not "imposed" from authority. Many seminarians do not take their final vows because they do not possess this rare gift from God. To impose such a requirement on same sex individuals, and to deny them civil marriage rights that heterosexuals enjoy is both excessively burdensome, cruel and unreasonable. The Church needs a convincing moral theory that most Catholics can grasp as truth about the nature of same sex orientation and marriage. To proclaim as truth that same sex individuals can not procreate as a reason to deny them a civil marriage, denies the reality that many heterosexual couples cannot procreate as well such as infertile couples, those who marry in menopause and those who have good reasons from not having children. Pius XII exempted couples from their procreative obligations in marriage for good reasons (1951 Address to the Mid Wives) and made licit a formal program called periodic continence that renders sexual intercourse non-procreative. No evidence to date validates the Church's claim that same sex marriage will destroy and undermine heterosexual marriages, nor is their any evidence from any reputable scientific organization that concluded that that the well being of children raised in a same sex marriages or civil union is any different than the well being of children raised in a heterosexual marriage. Very few people I know who have a same sex orientation believes that the RCC treats them with the dignity, love and equality shown to heterosexuals.

I appreciate the attempt to by the writers at the Jesuit Post. But when they speak of "the beauty of the Church's understanding of the natural purposes of marriage", it is really hard to see that beauty in the reaction from the bishops this week. The point person for the US bishops is Cordileone. His quotes aren't beautiful and are quite unconvincing. In reaction to the Supreme Court, he speaks about the court acting against "the best interests of the child to be raised by their mother and their father." What does this even mean in the context of civil marriage equality? Is there any child who will be ripped away from mixed-gender parents? Where? How? While studies of gay parented children are still limited -- the reputable, peer-reviewed studies all point to no negative impacts on children raised by same-gender parents. What would be really beautiful would be for the bishops to engage with modern science on sexuality and parenting in a more honest way. What would be really beautiful would be for them to see what many of us see everyday, loving same-sex couples, struggling just like their heterosexual counterparts to be loving parents. Many, many of the same-sex couples choose to parent special needs children, children many heterosexuals would never consider adopting. It would be really beautiful if a bishop acknowledged the courage and sacrifice of these folks, instead of hurling empty words about "the best interests of children".

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