The debate over the proper response to same-sex attraction (SSA) continues to rage in modern society, with the country and the world shifting dramatically in favor of condoning sodomy. A recent video called The Third Way: Homosexuality and the Catholic Church is a welcome addition to the field of understanding both the struggles of those with SSA and the Church’s teaching and means of healing. On May 13 of this year, Fr. Michael Seger, S.T.D., Professor of Moral Theology at the Athenaeum, delivered an address on this subject to the parish of St. John the Evangelist in Cincinnati. It too is a welcome contribution to the Catholic perspective. What follows is a modified transcript of his talk with an afterthought by Fr. Seger from his trip home after the presentation (and reaction). Comments of a civil nature are welcome below.

—

The front page of last Saturday’s Enquirer greeted us with a picture of a smiling mother and son. Out of respect for her son with same-sex attraction, the veteran teacher refuses to sign the new teaching contract offered by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

She has the right to not sign. And the Archdiocese has the right to stipulate compliance with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church as part of the contract.

I’m not here to argue the merits of either position. I was asked to present the Catholic Church’s teaching on same-sex attraction. So, to shed light on our Church’s viewpoint, we need to point out the presuppositions about the relationship between the individual and the common good revealed in this press-driven tempest in a tea cup.

Continue reading “The Catholic Church’s Teaching on Same-Sex Attraction: The Hard Truth and Pastoral Tradition”