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Chapter Seven Homosexuality ONE SEXUAL ISSUE is today causing anguish to some Christians and confusion and anger to others and is tearing the churches apart as never before. It is the issue of homosexuality. In this chapter we consider this issue in the context of scripture and the Catholic moral tradition interpreted in the contemporary sociohistorical context. Our approach is that mapped out by Pope Benedict XVI when he was Professor Joseph Ratzinger: ‘‘Not everything that exists in the Church must for that reason be also a legitimate tradition; in other words, not every tradition that arises in the Church is a true celebration and keeping present of the mystery of Christ. There is a distorting, as well as legitimate, tradition, . . . [and] . . . consequently tradition must not be considered only affirmatively but also critically.’’1 The approach is an empirical theology that examines traditional norms not as moral facts for uncritical and passive acceptance but as bases for active and critical understanding , pondering, and evaluating that leads to reasoned, conscientious judgments and decisions in the contemporary sociohistorical context. The theological tools for this approach draw from four sources of moral knowledge : scripture, ‘‘tradition’’ and ‘‘Tradition,’’2 reason, and experience. Traditionally, Catholic moral theology has relied upon these four sources of moral knowledge in developing its natural law method and formulating norms to guide human behavior. Both traditionalists and revisionists have recourse to these four sources. What distinguishes them fundamentally in their ethical methods in general, and in the issue of homosexual acts in particular, is their hermeneutic or interpretation and prioritization of those sources. Traditionalists use a hierarchical approach to the sources of moral knowledge and tend to interpret Tradition in the narrow sense of magisterial teaching, especially as this teaching pertains to moral absolutes. Scripture, reason, and experience, in that order, are all subject to the Magisterium’s interpretation. One could say that traditionalists espouse an apologetical ethical method defending the moral absolutes of the Magisterium. Revisionists, while assigning a very important role to Tradition, understanding it in a broad sense to include the Magisterium and the other aspects that make up a universal, ecclesiastical Tradition, use a dialectical approach between the four sources of moral knowledge. Though there is a presumption of truth in favor of magisterial teaching, that teaching is to be critically reflected upon in light of theologically sound scriptural exegesis, the reasonable 214 The Bible and Homosexuality  215 input of the sciences in areas where it has competence, and the cultural, historical, and relational experiences of the faithful, not necessarily in that order. When there is a conflict between these sources, a process of research, dialogue, and discernment must be undertaken to determine right understanding of divine law. This is a complex and involved process, which takes time, patience, and a commitment to dialogue. The received tradition of the Catholic Church condemns homosexual acts as ‘‘intrinsically disordered’’3 and gravely immoral and does so on the basis of three foundations. The first is the teaching of scripture, in which such acts ‘‘are condemned as a serious depravity and even presented as the sad consequence of rejecting God’’; the second is ‘‘the constant teaching of the Magisterium’’; and the third is ‘‘the moral sense of the Christian people.’’4 This theological tradition is not, and cannot be, in question in any contemporary discussion. Following Ratzinger, however , and the scientific and experiential insights available to us, the tradition can be and must be approached critically, to clarify its foundation, rationale, and continued meaningfulness in the changed sociohistorical circumstances of the contemporary world. It is the clarification of each foundation that is sought in this chapter. Though we respect the theological tradition on this issue, on the basis of empirical theology and a dialectical hermeneutic of the sources of moral knowledge, we maintain that the teaching on the intrinsic immorality of homosexual acts represents a distorting tradition. We conclude by defending our principle of holistic complementarity and argue that some homosexual acts may be morally right. The Bible and Homosexuality Because Christianity is a religion of the book, Christians automatically turn to their Bible, believed to be the Word of God, for guidance in ethical matters. The issue of homosexuality is no exception. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) turns to the Bible in its discussion of the ‘‘problem of homosexuality’’ and rhetorically asserts that ‘‘there is . . . a clear consistency within the sacred scriptures for judging the moral issue of homosexual behavior. The Church’s doctrine...

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