Australian bishop denies supporting same-sex unions
September 15, 2016
An Australian Catholic bishop has issued a statement denying that he supported same-sex unions in a public lecture.
In a response to what he characterized as "misinterpretatin of the lecture, especially in the secular media," Bishop Vincent Long of Paramatta said that he had called for "respectful langauge and pastoral engagement" with homosexuals, but had not endorsed homosexual activity or a homosexual lifestyle. "To accept a person's sexual identity does not mean to condone his or her behavior which are [sic] contrary to moral norms and the church's teaching," he said. He explained that he wished to make "a welcoming space for all people, including those who have been alienated such as our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters."
Bishop Long said that his lecture was an effort "to articulate an understanding of the vision of Pope Francis of what the church is and our response to this vision in the light of the challenges we face today."
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Sep. 17, 2016 1:26 AM ET USA
All the evidence I am aware of supports geoffreysmith1's observation that the homosexual condition is a result, not a cause, certainly not an essence or a nature. St. Thomas Aquinas knew this (e.g., Summa Theologica: IIa IIae, Q. 154, A. 12), as did the ancient Israelites (see Commandment 157 in Maimonides' list; also Lev 18:22). Psychology used to know this, but this knowledge seems to have been set aside in recent times.
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Posted by: geoffreysmith1 -
Sep. 16, 2016 8:03 AM ET USA
There are no such people as homosexuals. This is a manufactured expression to describe men with their natural sexuality that has become deformed since conception by factors outside their control, usually in childhood. There are several instances of 'homosexuals' fathering children, proving that they are normally-sexed men, but who suffer from this unnatural tendency to be attracted to sexual contact with their own sex.
