Should Pope Benedict establish an outreach to homosexuals and try to understand them?

Question

In 1986 he along with the CDF released a letter titled "Letter to the bishops on the pastoral care of Homosexual persons" in that leter he seemed to imply that the voience and discrimination that they have suffered is their fault and that they are disordered with a what is said to have a predisposition to evil tendecies. The letter also said that they are not entitled to the same rights as everybody else. Amongst the areas that they should be discriminated against is housing, and certain jobs, Ones like teaching, coaching and military service. It seems to me that his understanding is that such people are disordered and less than complete since they are not attracted to the oppisit gender. His attiude towards them has shown no compassion nor appreciation of their predicament. It realy concerns me because of his harsh atitude and the harm to the church/ homosexual relationship.

Answer 1

Why? He would lose so many followers. Homosexuality is one "sin" most Christians can truly unite behind to hate collectively.

Answer 2

I just read the letter and am also a bit confused by your reading.

On the one hand, I think I can see (and share) your concern that the letter may imply that the violence inflicted on homosexuals is somehow their fault. Section 10 of the letter very clearly condemns the "deplorable" violence against homosexuals, but also says that we shouldn't be surprised that such irrational violence occurs when society approves of homosexuality. I'm not sure there is a connection or, if there is, that it's at all worth mentioning within the context of a conversation of the morality of an action. The fact that it is mentioned makes me uncomfortable, at least. (I also wish the Cardinal would have been more explicit about the "more secure findings of the natural sciences" which putatively support the Catholic position.)

But I, like Misty, don't understand what you're referring to in terms of denying homosexuals rights to "housing, certain jobs," etc. He does say the legislation should not "protect behavior to which no one has any conceivable right" (10), suggesting that no one has a civil right to homosexual intercourse or marriage. But I don't see anything here saying that homosexuals aren't entitled to basic rights. In fact, he explicitly says that "The intrinsic dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law" (10).

Also, to say that homosexuality is disordered is to say that it is ordered wrongly. To say that X is ordered to Y is to say that Y is the purpose of X. In Catholic theology, sex's natural purpose or goal is procreation. Sex is ordered to procreation (among other things). Since homosexual intercourse cannot possibly lead to procreation, it must have other aims and purposes. It is ordered (or directed) towards something other than the natural purpose of sex. To say that homosexual actions are disordered is to say that they are mis-ordered. It's not to say that homosexual persons are somehow sick and twisted perverts less worthy of our compassion than heterosexuals or something.

So, to answer your actual question: yes, I think that the Pope should establish some kind of outreach to homosexuals and try to understand them. But I do think that this outreach should be conducted according to the principles of Catholic theology.

Answer 3

I just skimmed the letter and I don't get that from it at all...

"To celebrate the Paschal Mystery, it is necessary to let that Mystery become imprinted in the fabric of daily life. To refuse to sacrifice one's own will in obedience to the will of the Lord is effectively to prevent salvation"

"Christians who are homosexual are called, as all of us are, to a chaste life."

"In a particular way, we would ask the Bishops to support, with the means at their disposal, the development of appropriate forms of pastoral care for homosexual persons. These would include the assistance of the psychological, sociological and medical sciences, in full accord with the teaching of the Church. "

That's just a few excerpts. This letter was written by Cardinal Ratzinger not Pope Benedict. Yes they are the same person but in totally different positions of authority.

Here is the letter: http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df86ho.htm

He says nothing about discriminating against them in housing and jobs. The letter is to the Bishops expressing how they need to deal with the pro-gay movement in terms of their parishes etc.

The Church takes a stand for God no matter how popular a certain movement is. The Church, Pope, and all Catholics are never to discriminate against other human beings but this does not mean that we should accept all sin as justified.

The Church is concerned for the souls of all people. The Church's responsibility is to help people find salvation through Christ. Coddling them into feeling justified in their sin would go against all that the Church is called to do.

Your question is full of misleading and misrepresented information.

Answer 4

There is nothing wrong with being homosexual, it is the act that is a sin.
Hate the sin, not the sinner.

Answer 5

Well, a better question is: should the pope and all Catholics and other Christians just discard any beliefs that they have?
Should we have no principals, rules, or any other moral codes?

And that answer is, no.

Answer 6

This probably stems from the fact there is an army of homosexual priests to contend with. They used to just move them around. But with the press exposure now they have to deal with it more.

Answer 7

Write him a letter, tell him how, what, where, when and why you are Gay. Hope that will make you feel better.

Answer 8

he is the sith lord