The Roman Catholic Church represents the largest Christian denomination worldwide. It contains about 1.2 billion members globally. Today, Catholics hold many diverse views regarding the community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and more (LGBTQ+). A growing number of Catholics have begun to accept LGBTQ members welcoming them into the community, while many others still deny them or do not accept them. In the Catholic Church, people are taught not to act on homosexual tendencies yet everyone should still accept and respect LGBTQ people.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains the basic Christian values written in a way that aids their understanding. Catholics look to the Catechism for insight on many different topics. It describes “homosexual acts” as “intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law.” It also describes “homosexual tendencies” as “objectively disordered.”
The Catechism states that “the number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This objectively disordered inclination constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition”. The Catechism says that “Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.” The catechism states “Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained.”
The Catholic Church does not consider homosexual orientation sinful, however, it has a negative connotation towards it. The 1986 Letter says, “Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.” The catechism states that homosexual people are to be called to chastity. It also says that “Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”
“The Church seeks to enable every person to live out the universal call to holiness. Persons with a homosexual inclination ought to receive every aid and encouragement to embrace this call personally and fully. This will unavoidably involve much struggle and self-mastery, for following Jesus always means following the way of the Cross... The Sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance are essential sources of consolation and aid on this path.' - USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops), Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination (2006)
In December 2014 Pope Francis had a message for parents of LGBTQ children he said 'We have to find a way to help that father or that mother to stand by their [LGBTQ] son or daughter.” He had a welcoming attitude of accepting LGBTQ kids. But in the catechism of the Catholic Church, homosexual acts expressed by LGBTQ kids continue to be considered “intrinsically disordered to natural law... [and] close the sexual act to the gift of life”
As the leader of the Catholic Church, the Pope is starting to talk about these issues in a way that is different from the past. When Pope Francis joined 90 prison inmates in Naples for lunch including gay and transgender people in March of 2015, he said “Sometimes it happens that you feel disappointed, discouraged, abandoned by all: but God does not forget his children, he never abandons them! He is always at our side, especially in trying times.' He was willing to include gay and transgender people in his luncheon and allowed a group of LGBTQ advocates on the parade route.
In July 2015 Pope Francis referred to a meeting in Rome that would take place in August and was expected to discuss changes to controversial areas of Catholic teachings including homosexuality he said 'I ask you to pray fervently for this intention,' the Pope continued, 'so that Christ can take even what might seem to us impure, scandalous or threatening, and turn it ... into a miracle. Families today need miracles!'
Pope Francis said that the church should “apologize to the person who is gay whom it has offended” and respect and “accompany them pastorally”
Different parishes and dioceses have different experiences with LGBTQ members. Many Catholic communities reach out and try to offer members of the LGBTQ community a welcome as much as they can while staying within the limits of a church policy that disapproves of same-sex relationships. Some parishes have denied membership to people in the LGBT community. Recently, there have been cases of LGBTQ members who have been dismissed from Catholic schools and parishes after a same-sex couple had gotten married.
Many Catholics have reflected on the scientific evidence that homosexuality is a natural variant in human sexuality and that lesbian and gay love is just as valuable as heterosexual love. They see faith and reason as connected, and state, “I don’t think that God makes mistakes. Now that we know that homosexuality is normal and natural, we need to update our Church’s thinking to be in accord with new understandings of sexuality.”– New Ways Ministry.
The Vatican used the term LGBT for the first time in June of 2018, acknowledging the community in a written document. In the final version of the document, the term was removed.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has not come out with an official policy regarding the Equality Act. This is a comprehensive bill that, if passed, would add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the federal civil rights protections that previously existed based on national origin, skin color, race, religion, and sex.
The USSCB rejected the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in their statement that said it “could be used to punish as discrimination what many religions – including the Catholic religion – teach, particularly moral teaching about same-sex sexual conduct.”
In 2005, a Vatican document that was approved by Pope Benedict XVI instructed the church that it “cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’ Such persons find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.” Pope Francis gave his famous “Who am I to judge?” comment when he responded to a question regarding the acceptability of gay men as priests. But his statement is not official church teaching. Recently, many men’s religious orders and some bishops mostly make their own decisions about accepting gay men as candidates for the seminary and the priesthood.
In August of 2013, when asked whether gay men could be accepted as priests in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said 'If they [gay priests] accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn't be marginalized. The tendency [same-sex attraction] is not the problem... they're our brothers.'His comment set the tone and approach to talking more about LGBTQ issues apart from the liberal-conservative view
Marriage is a union of one man and one woman in a permanent faithful unity. The catechism states that “Sexuality is meant for the marital love of man and woman.” The family is the foundation of the church. It is also rooted in the marriage of one man and one woman. The Catechism says “In marriage, the physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament.” Catholics believe that God is the author of marriage, not man and not society or the government. Marriage is a covenant between God and his people, between Christ and the church. Same-sex marriage cannot relate because they are the same, as in both the same gender. The different genders, male and female, symbolize the difference between mankind and god. Same-sex marriage does not represent that reality. Homosexuals can never become married because they biologically cannot be open to children. There is no natural possibility of new life. Men and women complement each other, emotionally and anatomically.
The Catholic Church teaches that any sexual activity between anyone (homosexual or heterosexual) that happens outside a marriage between a man and a woman is sinful and immoral. Only sex between a husband and wife is morally permitted. The Catholic Church does not celebrate or recognize same-sex marriages; therefore, any homosexual sexual relations are prohibited. The Catholic Catechism teaches that sex should happen only within marriage between a wife and a husband, with procreation as the goal. God calls on us, whether homosexual or heterosexual, to chastity.
However, the Catholic laity has been more vocal in their support. Lay organizations, including Catholics for Marriage Equality, played an important role in the United States of America. Some Catholics support marriage equality because they disagree with the bishop about sexuality and gender. They align themselves more with the theologians who hold that sexual expression is moral if it is part of a committed, just, and equal relationship. “For many Catholics, support for marriage equality goes even deeper. They are motivated by their commitment to social justice, which is an integral part of their faith lives. Catholic social teaching requires that people be treated with human dignity, regardless of their state in life or their beliefs.” – New Ways Ministry.
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Under the Catholic Catechism, sex, marriage, and surgery that interferes with reproduction seem to be prohibited for transgender people. Priests are prohibited from celebrating same-sex marriages.
The Pope’s most direct involvement in a national marriage equality debate was his statement when he said “I wish to express my appreciation to the entire Slovak church, encouraging everyone to continue their efforts in defense of the family, the vital cell of society.'
In January 2015 Pope Francis said “The family is threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life.' This statement belittles millions of children raised by LGBTQ parents.
Some Catholics still believe that homosexual union contradicts nature. Just because homosexuals cannot be married doesn’t mean they can’t be saintly people. Every person regardless of their orientation is called to live a life of personal holiness. Only homosexual acts are sinful. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church remains unchanged. The Catholic Church has admitted that it may be an inherited or genetic trait that is no one’s fault and says that such people have a right to respect, friendship, and justice. Same-gender sexual activity remains a sin within the Catholic Church and members are required to resist any such activities.
Some people are denied communion and funerals because they are in a same-sex marriage. Some are even refused to baptize their children.
There has been a lot of controversy about transgender in the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI summarized the ability to choose one’s gender as the “epoch of sin against God the creator.”
Transgender people only make up .6 percent of the us population and 4.5 percent are LGBT based on a study from UCLA School of Law Williams Institute. There is extensive teaching on gay and lesbian sexuality but there is no universal church teaching on transgender identity. Because there is no doctrine or official policy about transgender identity, the experience that transgender Catholics experience varies depending on the parish. Some transgender people are accepted into the community, but in other situations, transgender people are mistreated.
In 2007 Colleen Fay, a Catholic woman, told her pastor and music director of her parish that she was transgender. Afterward, she was fired from her job in the church’s choir by the music director. Her thoughts were, “They don’t know what to do with us. There is no policy. There is no doctrine.” She attempted to register as a parishioner at another Catholic church multiple times. However, they said she was not registered and they had no record of her. She felt that this was because she was transgender. These experiences made her feel as though the church was asking her to choose between being transgender and being a Catholic.
In September 2015, a transgender man was denied permission to serve as a godfather by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The statement said '[...] the result is evident that this person does not possess the requisite of leading a life conformed to the faith and the position of godfather, therefore is not able to be admitted to the position of godmother nor godfather. One should not see this as discrimination, but only the recognition of an objective absence of the requisites that by their nature are necessary to assume the ecclesial responsibility of being a godparent.'
In 2015 Pope Francis met with a transgender Catholic and repeatedly said that gender is not a choice. In a 2017 interview, he said “Children are learning that they can choose their sex. Why is sex, being a woman or a man, a choice and not a fact of nature?” He also railed against the “biological and psychological manipulation of sexual difference” that shows gender as a “simple matter of personal choice”.”
In February 2015, Pope Francis criticized gender theory by comparing it to nuclear war and genetic manipulation. He said “Let's think of the nuclear arms, of the possibility to annihilate in a few instants a very high number of human beings. Let's think also of genetic manipulation, of the manipulation of life, or the gender theory, that does not recognize the order of creation.' His comparison comes from the Catholic Church’s understanding of the gender spectrum with only men and women. It rejects the disconnection of gender identity and expression from biology. Stemmed in the story of Adam and Eve, this perspective doesn’t recognize the millions of existence and experiences of transgender and gender variant individuals who don’t fit the strict duality.
Multiple US bishops wrote a letter in December 2017 called “Created Male and Female”. They said “The socio-cultural reality of gender cannot be separated from one’s sex as male or female. ... The movement today to enforce the false idea — that a man can be or become a woman or vice versa — is deeply troubling.”
Related recommendations from the Vatican say that transgender people shouldn’t be priests or even godparents, though this is not a universal Church teaching nor is it in the catechism. Doctrinal teachings associate birth with gender identity.
The National Center for Transgender Equality and the National LGBTQ Task Force reported high percentages of bullying in school, harassment on the job, and physical and sexual assault. 46 percent of trans men have attempted to commit suicide, and 42 percent of trans women have attempted to commit suicide according to the Williams Institute. Because of this high rate, some Catholics welcome transgender people. Sister Luisa Derouen, a Dominican sister in Kentucky, has been providing spiritual direction and company to transgender people. She said, “A few individual bishops have spoken publicly, with the basic message being that the Book of Genesis tells us God created human beings male and female. However, to date, there is no official position of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops or from the Vatican regarding transgender people.”
Reverend John Unni, a pastor at St. Cecilia, believes that since Jesus was open to the marginalized, they should welcome LGBT members. Catholics are told to accept everyone, especially the marginalized. When asked “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus responded by saying: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Jesus expressed that Catholics should love their neighbors. This includes LGBTQ people. Catholics accept LGBTQ people, but they do not permit any sexual activity between them and they do not recognize their weddings as they do a heterosexual wedding. God created man and women, therefore, no one should change their gender because that is the way God made you, in the likeness and image of him.
Religion has been a source of both support and suffering for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Americans. While most LGBTQ members have been raised in a religion, many have been forced to leave those communities because of criticism of LGBTQ people. Recently, a growing number of organized religious groups in the United States of America have issued statements officially welcoming LGBTQ people as members of their community. Many religious organizations have also taken supportive stands on the issues that LGBTQ people face.
Dignity USA uses education, advocacy, and support to gain respect and justice for people of all sexual orientations, genders, and gender identities in the Catholic Church. New Ways Ministry educates and advocates for justice and equality for LGBTQ Catholics and reconciliation with the larger church communities. Call to Action inspires and activates Catholics to act for justice and build inclusive communities. Fortunate Families is a ministry of Catholic Family, Friends, and Allies supporting the LGBTQ+ community. They promote and facilitate a personal, meaningful, and respectful conversation with bishops, pastors, parish leaders, and dioceses. Equally Blessed is a coalition devoted to educating, supporting, and giving voice to many within the Catholic Church in the United States of America who favor equality for LGBTQ people. Catholics for Equality was founded in 2010. They support, inform, and mobilize Catholics in pushing for freedom and equality for LGBT families, parish, and community members. These organizations believe LGBT Catholics should be valued and celebrated as members of our diverse family of God. They believe that LGBTQ+ Catholics in their diversity are “members of Christ’s mystical body. We have an inherent dignity because God created us, Christ died for us, and the Holy Spirit sanctified us in Baptism, making us temples of the Spirit, and channels through which God’s love becomes visible. Because of this, it is our right, our privilege, and our duty to live the sacramental life of the Church, so that we might become more powerful instruments of God’s love working among all people.”- Dignity USA
“We also acknowledge, together with the Church, that the fullness of sexual expression is best framed in a loving committed relationship. We believe, along with mainstream science, that the homosexual orientation and experience of gender are deeply seated and cannot be reversed by prayer and/or therapy. Many of our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers are in loving, committed relationships with persons of the same sex or persons with other gender-nonconforming expressions and ask us to embrace, accept, and love them for who they are. We do embrace them, knowing that our decision to love them – at times – places us in tension with Church teaching.” – Fortunate Families.
Some bishops, like Bishop Thomas Tobin, discourage Catholics from supporting or attending LGBTQ events during Pride Month in June. He believes that they promote a culture and encourage activities that are against the Catholic faith and morals. He also claimed that they were harmful to children. However, support would help people who are struggling with their sexual identity. Catholics who attend and support pride events are redeeming their humanity and honoring the basic dignity of the people they love in response to history, society, and culture where gay, lesbian, and transgender people have often been rejected by their religious conservative families and even by the church. Catholics who consider themselves to be “pro-life” cannot ignore the reality that LGBTQ minorities are far more likely at risk for self-harm and targeted for violence. Catholics from parishes in cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have participated in pride rallies over the past years.
Catholics' views have changed over the past years as the LGBTQ community has grown. Because we are in a new era, Catholics have adapted and have been welcoming LGBTQ members into the Catholic church. They have been supporting them in numerous ways, like organizations and support groups. Overall, Catholicism is starting to open up to LGBTQ members.
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