 In early October, the Bishop of Osnabrück, Franz-Josef Bode, will take part in the global synod of bishops on the subject of family in Rome. In an interview with the Catholic news agency KNA, he commented on his expectations for this meeting.
KNA:. Bishop Bode, what kind of atmosphere do you expect at the Synod of Bishops?
Bode: There will be a special atmosphere. Because there was already a preparatory synod last year. And because for the first time there have been surveys among the faithful about the issues on the agenda. In this way, opinions and trends have evolved. Therefore, this Synod is eagerly awaited. This is also true for myself
KNA: A major topic will be those who divorced and remarried. You yourself have advocated allowing those affected back to receiving Holy Communion, under certain conditions. Which?
Bode: Marriage is indissoluble according to the will of Jesus. Marriage is entered into with a sacrament, which is never just dissolved. Through the weakness of humans this life relationship can nonetheless break up and fail. People can come to a new relationship, which is more mature, but does not have the same sacramental value as the first. The question is, whether this new reality, which perhaps expresses the covenant between God and humans better than the first, must always have the consequence of exclusion from confession and communion. We should include the question, what circumstances have led to the breakdown of the marriage. Sofar we have treated all alike, whether they bear the blame or not. Moreover, this is connected to a question of the understanding of the Eucharistic celebration. Is it really only the representation of a complete unity in faith and the Church, or is it also a help for journies through life which have their wounds? And that people can’t express that in Confession and receive forgiveness for it, I find that almost more difficult than the question about Communion.
KNA: A big issue will be the dealings with homosexuals and a religious recognition of their stable partnerships. Is there any indication of a solution for that?
Bode: The Catechism makes clear that we do not discriminate against these people. As with others who live together before marriage, so also with them we should recognize their strengths and not only their weaknesses and shortcomings. But civil unions are not to be equated with marriage. Marriage for us is the relationship of husband and wife, from which can come children. The Church can help and assist life partnerships in conversations and in positive companionship. However, it is not possible to give anything which is tantamount to marriage. But we will be able to accompany their path with prayer and a private form of blessing.
KNA: Where people live in fidelity and dependability, can there be recognition from the Church?
Bode: Recognition of what is lived there. It is not a sacrament. But if I am open in principle not to always demand either all or nothing, then the same is true for homosexuality. Where that is also of course dependent.on cultural and political contexts Even the last Synod highlighted the differences in the universal Church. Perhaps we need therefore to go different ways
KNA:. What opportunities do you see for uniform solutions for the Catholic Church worldwide?
Bode: There is always a chance, because we mutually believe in one Christ, because the basis is the Scripture and because we have a tradition of the Church as a whole. Indeed that was always the advantage of the Church, that it builds a community irrespective of borders and across cultures. But in the fundamental concept of marriage and family there is unanimity. Regarding the homosexual way of life, we must accept a greater diversity between cultures.
KNA: What will change about pastoral care after the synod?
A synod is not a Council, that takes decisions which are then pastorally implementrd. The Synod gives recommendations to the Pope, who then prepares written directions from them. Therein, he can of course also set new pastoral priorities. In our recommendations we can keep the doors open for local.pastoral solutions It is conceivable to give the priests their own authority, so that in the Pastoral they can take responsibility for finding solutions in respect of those divorced and remarried. For many years already there have been suggestions in the dioceses on how pastors should deal with it. I hope that this can be done in a theologically well- founded manner. We have almost always looked only at what the dogma says of pastoral , but rarely what the pastoral says of dogma . With that,
there’s a dialogue, an innermost connection
KNA: Conservative and reform-minded bishops get together in Rome. Are they really outspoken behind closed doors?
Bode: I hope for a climate in which the different positions can be expressed openly. And in fact, not just in the three minute statements at the beginning of the synod, but also among themselves in small groups. That must occur in a really matter-of-fact manner. For this, elements of prayer, balancing, retreating and meeting again are important. Most of all, it needs time. I do not know how far we will come in three weeks.
KNA: How important is the participation of the non-clergy?
Bode: We cannot indeed as clergy and men discuss by ourselves family issues. It is absolutely necessary that married couples are involved. In addition, very honest statements are flowing in from the surveys. Furthermore, the bishops spoke beforehand with advisers and married couples, especially with women.
KNA: How important is your own family to you as a man living a celibate life?
Bode: I have four older sisters. All four sisters and two children have married. And they already have now eight children in turn. As an uncle and grand uncle, I am well aware of completely normal family life. Unfortunately, two of my sisters have already passed away, so that I am also acquainted with this situation of serious illness and widowhood. In my circle of friends, I have friends whose marriages have failed and have made a good new beginning. In addition, I meet regularly with the six married couples of a family circle from the parish in which I was the pastor. I am very involved with my family.
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Tag Archives: same – sex unions
Bischof Bode über seine Erwartungen an die Familiensynode in Rom
“Verschiedene Positionen offen aussprechen”
Der Osnabrücker Bischof Franz-Josef Bode nimmt Anfang Oktober an der Weltbischofssynode in Rom zum Thema Familie teil. Im Interview der Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur äußerte er sich über seine Erwartungen an dieses Treffen.
KNA: Bischof Bode, was erwarten Sie atmosphärisch von der Bischofssynode?
Bode: Es wird eine besondere Atmosphäre sein. Weil zur Vorbereitung im vergangenen Jahr bereits eine Synode stattfand. Und weil es erstmals Umfragen unter den Gläubigen zu den anstehenden Themen gegeben hat. Dadurch haben sich Meinungen und Richtungen herausgebildet. Deshalb wird diese Synode mit Spannung erwartet. Das gilt auch für mich selbst.
KNA: Ein großes Thema sollen die wiederverheirateten Geschiedenen sein. Sie selbst haben sich dafür ausgesprochen, Betroffene unter bestimmten Bedingungen wieder zum Kommunionempfang zuzulassen. Welche?
Bode: Die Ehe ist nach dem Willen Jesu unauflöslich. Mit einer sakramentalen Ehe ist etwas geschlossen, was sich niemals einfach auflöst. Durch die Schwäche der Menschen kann diese Lebensbeziehung dennoch zerbrechen und scheitern. Menschen können zu einer neuen Beziehung kommen, die reifer ist, aber sakramental nicht die gleiche Wertigkeit hat wie die erste. Die Frage ist, ob diese neue Wirklichkeit, die vielleicht besser dem Bund Gottes mit den Menschen entspricht als die erste, immer den Ausschluss von Beichte und Kommunion zur Folge haben muss. Wir sollten die Frage einbeziehen, welche Umstände zum Bruch der Ehe geführt haben. Bislang behandeln wir alle gleich, ob jemand Schuld trägt oder nicht. Zudem verbindet sich damit eine Frage nach dem Verständnis der Eucharistiefeier. Ist sie wirklich ausschließlich die Darstellung einer vollkommenen Einheit in Glaube und Kirche oder ist sie auch Hilfe für Lebenswege, die ihre Wunden haben? Und dass Menschen das nicht in der Beichte ausdrücken und Vergebung dafür erlangen können, finde ich fast noch schwieriger als die Frage nach der Kommunion.
KNA: Großes Thema wird auch der Umgang mit Homosexuellen und eine kirchliche Wertschätzung ihrer festen Partnerschaften sein. Zeichnet sich dafür eine Lösung ab?
Bode: Der Katechismus macht deutlich, dass wir diese Menschen nicht diskriminieren. Wie bei anderen, die vor der Ehe zusammenleben, geht es auch bei ihnen darum, ihre Stärken zu erkennen und nicht nur ihre Schwächen und Defizite. Eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaften sind aber nicht der Ehe gleichzusetzen. Ehe ist für uns die Beziehung von Mann und Frau, aus der auch Kinder hervorgehen können. Kirche kann den Lebenspartnerschaften in Gesprächen und in positiver Begleitung helfen und ihnen beistehen. Es wird jedoch nichts geben können, was einer Trauung gleichkommt. Aber mit Gebet und einer privaten Form von Segen wird man ihren Weg begleiten können.
KNA: Wo Treue und Verlässlichkeit gelebt werden, kann es eine Anerkennung von der Kirche geben?
Bode: Anerkennung dessen, was da gelebt wird. Ein Sakrament ist das nicht. Aber wenn ich grundsätzlich die Offenheit habe, nicht immer nur alles oder nichts einzufordern, dann gilt das auch für die Homosexualität. Wobei das natürlich auch abhängig ist von kulturellen und politischen Zusammenhängen. Schon die vergangene Synode hat die Unterschiede in der Weltkirche aufgezeigt. Vielleicht muss man da unterschiedliche Wege gehen.
KNA: Welche Chancen sehen Sie für einheitliche Lösungen in der katholischen Kirche weltweit?
Bode: Die Chance gibt es immer, weil wir gemeinsam an den einen Christus glauben, weil die Grundlage die Heiligen Schrift ist und weil wir eine Tradition der Kirche insgesamt haben. Das war ja immer der Vorteil der Kirche, dass sie über Grenzen hinweg, über die Kulturen hinaus eine Gemeinschaft bildet. In der grundgelegten Auffassung von Ehe und Familie herrscht doch Einmütigkeit. Bei den homosexuellen Lebensformen wird man eine größere Verschiedenheit in den Kulturen annehmen müssen.
KNA: Was wird sich in der Seelsorge nach der Synode ändern?
Bode: Eine Synode ist kein Konzil, das Beschlüsse verabschiedet, die dann pastoral umzusetzen sind. Die Synode gibt Empfehlungen an den Papst, der daraus ein richtungweisendes Schreiben verfasst. Darin kann er natürlich auch neue pastorale Schwerpunkte setzen. In unseren Empfehlungen können wir die Türen offenhalten für pastorale Lösungen vor Ort. Denkbar ist, den Priestern eigene Vollmachten zu geben, damit sie in der Pastoral verantwortbare Lösungen finden können etwa mit Blick auf die wiederverheirateten Geschiedenen. Es gibt ja bereits seit Jahren in den Diözesen Anregungen, wie die Seelsorger damit umgehen sollten. Ich wünsche mir, dass das in einer theologisch noch begründeteren Weise geschehen kann. Wir haben fast immer nur im Blick, was die Dogmatik der Pastoral sagt, aber selten, was die Pastoral der Dogmatik sagt. Dabei ist das doch ein Dialog, eine innerste Verbindung.
KNA: In Rom treffen konservative und reformorientierte Bischöfe zusammen. Wird hinter verschlossenen Türen wirklich kein Blatt vor den Mund genommen?
Bode: Ich hoffe auf ein Klima, in dem die verschiedenen Positionen offen ausgesprochen werden können. Und zwar nicht nur in den Drei-Minuten-Statements zu Beginn der Synode, sondern auch in Kleingruppen untereinander. Das muss auf wirklich sachliche Art geschehen. Elemente des Gebets, des Abwägens, des Rückzugs und der erneuten Zusammenkunft sind dazu wichtig. Vor allem braucht es Zeit. Ich weiß nicht, wie weit wir in drei Wochen kommen.
KNA: Wie wichtig ist die Teilnahme von Nicht-Klerikern?
Bode: Wir können ja nicht als Kleriker und Männer allein die Fragen von Familien besprechen. Es ist absolut notwendig, dass Ehepaare dabei sind. Daneben fließen aus den Umfragen sehr ehrliche Statements ein. Zudem haben die Bischöfe im Vorfeld mit Beratern und Eheleuten gesprochen, speziell auch mit Frauen.
KNA: Wie wichtig ist Ihnen als zölibatär lebender Mann die eigene Familie?
Bode: Ich habe vier ältere Schwestern. Alle vier haben geheiratet und zwei Kinder. Und die haben jetzt schon wieder acht Kinder. Als Onkel und Großonkel bekomme ich das ganz normale Familienleben gut mit. Leider sind zwei meiner Schwestern schon verstorben, so dass ich auch diese Situation der schweren Krankheit und Witwenschaft kenne. In meinem Bekanntenkreis habe ich Freunde, deren Ehen gescheitert sind und die gute Neuanfänge gemacht haben. Auch treffe ich mich regelmäßig mit den sechs Ehepaaren eines Familienkreises aus der Gemeinde, in der ich Pfarrer war. Ich bin sehr eingebunden in meine Familie.
12th January: St Aelred of Rievaulx, Patron of Same Sex Intimacy
St Aelred, whose feast we celebrate today, is recognised in all sources as an important English saint, who lived in the north of England in the 12 C. As a young man, he joined the Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx, later returning there as Abbott. He is remembered especially for his writings on friendship, some of which have led gay writers such as John Boswell to claim him as ‘homosexual’. For instances, Integrity USA, an Anglican LGBT organisation, have designated him as their patron. From the website of Integrity, this Collect for the feast of Aelred:
Gay Bishops: Ralph of Tours and John of Orleans
With all the current fuss about the decision of the US Episcopal Church to consecrate openly gay bishops, and the Catholic Church’s declared hostility to gay priests and to gay marriage or even civil unions, we forget that in the older history of the church, it is not gay priests and bishops that are new, or gay marriage, but the opposition to them. Many medieval and classical scholars have produced abundant evidence of clearly homosexual clergy, bishops, and even saints, and of church recognition of same sex unions.
Gay Bishops in Church History
One story is particularly striking. At the close of the 11th Century, Archbishop Ralph of Tours persuaded the King of France to install as Bishop of Orleans a certain John – who was widely known as Ralph’s gay lover, as he had previously been of Ralph’s brother and predecessor as Bishop of Orleans, of the king himself, and of several other prominent men. This was strongly opposed by prominent churchmen, on the grounds that John was too young and would be too easily influenced by Ralph. (Note, please, that the opposition was not based on the grounds of sexuality, or even of promiscuity.) Ivo of Chartres tried to get Pope Urban II to intervene. Now, Urban had strong personal reasons, based in ecclesiastical and national politics, to oppose Ralph. Yet he declined to do so. In spite of well-founded opposition, John was consecrated Bishop of Orleans on March 1, 1098, when he joined two of his own lovers, and numerous others, in the ranks of openly homosexual Catholic Bishops.
An earlier example was St Paulinus of Nola, whose feast day was celebrated earlier this month. Paulinus was noted as both bishop and poet: his poetic “epistles” to his friend Faustinus are noted in the on-line Catholic Encyclopedia. What the CE does not remind us, is that Pulinus ans Faustinus were lovers, and the “epistles” were frankly homoerotic verse, which may be read today in the Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse. Church history for its first twelve centuries at least is littered with further stories of male and female clergy, some canonized or popularly recognised as saints, with clear homosexual orientations. Some of these, as clergy, probably lived celibate lives. Many clearly did not.
In England, there was Bishop Longchamps, the bishop that Richard the Lionheart made Regent. The well-known line on him was that the barons would trust their daughters with him, but not their sons.
Gay Saints in Church History
Church history for its first twelve centuries at least is littered with further stories of male and female clergy, some canonized or popularly recognised as saints, with clear homosexual orientations. Some of these, as clergy, probably lived celibate lives. Many clearly did not. Among many examples from Church history, some of the better known are:
Aelred of Rievaulx (probably celibate, but wrote intensely ardent love letters to male friends);
St Patrick (believed to have worked as a prostitute in his youth, and may have taken a male lover in later life);
SS Sergius & Bacchus( Roman soldiers, lovers & martyrs)
St John of the Cross (Well known mystic, whose metaphorical poetry of his love for Christ uses frankly homoerotic imagery)
Cardinal John Henry Newman (soon to be beatified, was so devoted to his beloved friend Aubrey St John, that he insisted on being buried with him in the same grave.)
Same Sex Unions in Church History
The earliest church, in Rome and in the Slavic countries, recognised some forms of same sex union in liturgical rites of “adelphopoein” . It is not entirely clear precisely what was the precise meaning of these rites. They were clearly not directly comparable to modern marriage – but nor were the forms of heterosexual unions at the time. Some claim that they were no more than a formalised friendship under the name of “brotherhood” – but many Roman lovers called themselves “brothers”. Some of the couples united under this rite were certainly homosexual lovers, but it is possible not all were. What is certain, is that the Church under the Roman Empire, for many years recognised and blessed liturgically some form of union for same sex couples. As late as the sixteenth century, there is a clear written report of a Portuguese male couple having been married in a church in Rome.
This recognition also extended to death. From the earliest church until at least the nineteenth century, there are examples of same sex couples, both male and female, being buried in shared graves, in a manner exactly comparable to the common practice of married couples sharing a grave – and often with the parallel made clear in the inscriptions.
The modern Church likes to claim that in condemning same sex relationships, and resisting gay marriage and gay clergy, it is maintaining a long church tradition. It is not. To persist in this claim, in the light of increasing evidence from modern scholars, is simply to promote a highly selective and hence dishonest reading of history.
See also
and at “Queering the Church“:
From the “Lesbian and Gay Catholic Handbook“
- The Passion of Sergius & Bacchus (Roman soldiers, lovers and martyrs)
Also available on-line:
Burials in Greek Macedonia (Valerie Abrahamsen)
Books:
- Boisvert, Donald : Sanctity And Male Desire: A Gay Reading Of Saints
- Boswell, John: Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century
- Boswell, John: Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe
- Kuefler, Matthew (ed): The Boswell Thesis: Essays on Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality
- Brooten, Bernadette: Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism (The Chicago Series on Sexuality, History, and Society)
- Bray,Alan : The Friend
- O’Neill: Passionate Holiness: Marginalized Christian Devotions for Distinctive People
Miner, Jeff, and John Tyler Connoley. The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships
Miner, Jeff, and John Tyler Connoley. The Children Are Free: Reexamining the Biblical Evidence on Same-sex Relationships
Boswell, John: Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe
(Harper-Collins, 1994)412 pages
A Catholic Case For Blessing Civil Unions
With gay marriage back in the news, one may well ask (and I have been asked) is there a case for the Catholic Church to provide some form of church recognition for civil unions?
I have several objections, which I have frequently stated, to the entire foundations of the Vatican doctrines on sexuality – but the question I want to deal with was very specific and moderate, from a person whose undoubted sincerity and respect for tradition I freely accept, and so, for the sake of argument, I want to address David’s question on its own terms – from strictly within orthodox Catholic tradition and teaching. My short answer is yes, undoubtedly; my slightly longer answer is that there should not need to be a case, as liturgical blessing of same sex unions already has an established place in Church history, complete with fixed liturgical rites and ceremonies. However, this traditional practice is no longer familiar to us, and so I need to update it, together with some background information, for the modern context.
I begin with what is foundational to all questions of marriage – the words of Scripture, in Genesis 2 (which is the earlier of the two creation stories, notwithstanding the familiar numbering):
“It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a companion to help him.”-(Gen 2:18)
Notice please: not a wife, to make babies, but a companion, to help him. So we have it on the very best authority, God’s authority, that humans need companions, not for sexual pleasure, nor primarily for procreation, but for help, companionship and support.
In the modern West, we are so obsessed with sex, and particularly with off-colour wisecracks and snickering at wedding receptions that we entirely forget that marriage is not only about sex. Yet every adult knows there is far more to marriage, once the wedding night and honeymoon are over and forgotten. What becomes far more important is simply working together to ease the trials of the day – by offering companionship and support, taking leisure or seeing friends and family together, and sharing in the costs and responsibilities that go into making a home: house, garden and car maintenance, paying the bills, cleaning, laundry and food arrangements – and raising children together if and when they arrive.
It is not only that sex is not the only part of marriage – we forget that it was once an accepted part of Christianity that sexual relationships need not be a part of marriage at all. Many early Christians renounced sex altogether and dedicated themselves to virginity, even in marriage, and even as married couples. So it is entirely accepted in Christian tradition that an emotionally intimate, recognized committed relationship between two people is possible without the need for a sexual foundation.
We also know, through the scholarship of John Boswell and Alan Bray, that for many centuries the early and medieval Church accepted and recognized the value of liturgical recognition of same sex couples, for which they used established rites of blessing. In the Eastern Church, these were known as rites for “adelphopoeisis“, or “making of brothers”, and in the Western Church, as “sworn brotherhood.” Boswell’s work is controversial, and has been widely criticized in some quarters on the grounds that these unions were not “comparable” to modern heterosexual marriage – but that is precisely my point: modern civil unions are also not comparable to modern (sacramental) marriage (and nor were heterosexual unions in the early and medieval church “comparable” with modern marriage). (UPDATE: I have learnt from a note in the comments that there is a new book forthcoming on adelphopoeisis. It will be fascinating to see how much this new study departs from, or adds to, Boswell’s early and controversial work).
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What cannot be denied is that these liturgical rites existed, and were used. Bray’s work is a lot more cautious than Boswell’s, and he is careful to describe these unions only in terms of “friendship” – but as he also makes clear, male friendship at that time is also not directly comparable with modern ideas of male “buddies”. Friendship between men then was a far more serious affair than it usually is today, possibly of greater emotional and practical importance that mere marriage, which is why it was deemed worthy of liturgical recognition, and why a number of pairs of sworn brothers demanded and got joint burial in shared tombs in church – exactly as many married couples. These unions were not always sexual – but some most certainly were.
The practice of liturgical blessing for same-sex unions gradually fell away, but continued in occasional use in the Eastern use, and I have heard a suggestion that although it has fallen into disuse in the West, it has never been formally abolished and so remains at least theoretically available (that would need checking, and I do not vouch for the claim.) However, the practice of shared burial continued rather longer. The best known and most recent example is that of Cardinal John Henry Newman, who insisted on being buried alongside his beloved friend St John, that they could be together “for all eternity”. There was no objection raised to the request, and they were indeed buried together, right in Birmingham Oratory, with no slight to Newman’s reputation. He is today on the path to recognized sainthood, and will be formally beatified next month, during the papal visit to the UK.
So, there is an established basis in scripture and in church history, for recognizing a human need for a companion, and for liturgical recognition of such relationships, even when between pairs of men, by the Church. So the case for modern liturgical recognition of some same-sex relationships would seem to be incontestable – it has already been established church practice in both Eastern and Western branches of Christianity. The question is – what kind of relationships? Are rites for making “brothers”, or of “sworn brotherhood”, really appropriate for modern civil unions? The argument against might be, that the former were not sexual relationships, and modern civil unions are.
Well, not exactly. Some sworn brotherhoods most certainly did have a sexual basis, and some modern civil unions do not. More importantly, both sets of unions are or were very much about joint financial business or property relationships, and reciprocal obligations for mutual care and protection. Before considering modern partnerships which are sexual, I want to deal with those which are not. To do so, I want to consider the case of a Catholic man who has a “homosexual condition”, but who successfully strives to live strictly within the parameters of orthodox Catholic doctrine. Call him Chas, for chastity.
We know from Vatican documents that a homosexual man in himself is not sinful – only his homosexual “acts”, but being a dutiful Catholic, Chas does not commit any of those. We also know from Genesis that in the eyes of God, it is not right that he should be alone, that he needs a companion. We also know that the Church itself recognizes that a person like Chaz will have a difficult time living out his life of voluntary chastity – they describe this as a “cross” that such men must learn to carry, and also are careful to arrange support groups (in the Courage ministry) to help them to deal with this cross.
Now if Chas recognizes that it would be good for him to have a companion, someone who can offer help and support in carrying this cross on a full-time basis, not just in weekly Courage meetings, and can furthermore help with all the little practical details of living arrangements, as married couples do as matter of course when not making babies, and if Chas meets someone with whom he can find the right emotional connection, and who is just as committed to living within Church teaching (someone he met in his Courage group, perhaps) – what possible objection can there be to the two of them agreeing to live together as room-mates, sharing expenses, chores and responsibilities – and providing full-time companionship and support?
Once they do start living together, and develop deep emotional bonds, they may well see the need for legal contracts to protect their respective interests in the eyes of the law. As the relationship has been set up to honour and support each other in living out Church teaching in love, is there not also a need for such a relationship to secure some form of honouring within the Church community, so that God who has recognized their mutual need for companionship, and the faith community of which they are part, might bear witness to their love and commitment – and encourage them to maintain it obedience to the demands of their faith, as they see it? Such recognition should not take the form of “marriage”, with its association with child-bearing and raising, but it would have strong and obvious parallels with sworn brotherhood – based on deep friendship, but also incorporating legal, financial and personal mutual responsibilities.
So, it is clear to me that precisely as the early and medieval church saw the value of celebrating some same sex unions in sworn brotherhood, there would be value for the church in recognizing (celibate) civil unions with an independent, but associated, rite of blessing within the congregation.
What of unions that are not known to be celibate? Well, they may be. Here in the UK, the law for civil partnerships closely parallels that for marriage, with very few exceptions. One important one that does exist, is sexual: unlike marriage, there is no legal requirement for sexual consummation for the union to be valid. In law, the partnership is essentially a matter of contract between two people, and in not a sexual arrangement. For those cynics who doubt the possibility of a partnership which is not sexual, I simply point again to the example of the early church, and those married couples who were encouraged to practice virginity even within marriage. There certainly are modern male couples, living in close emotional partnerships, who claim to be doing so in complete chastity, just as our fictitious Chaz might do. Who are we to disbelieve them?
Even where we know that a particular couple are not celibate, we would be wrong to assume that they are living in sin. Although the Vatican documents and the Catechism are clear that homosexual genital acts are sinful, it is also established and accepted that the primary obligation is to one’s conscience. There is a parallel clear and established teaching that the use of artificial contraception is sinful – but that conscience may at times override that. So, the simple fact that two men are living together, in a relationship that is not celibate, does not mean that they are sinful. They too, just like Chaz and his hoped-for friend and partner, need companionship, mutual help and support in negotiating life’s difficulties, and the problems they will face together. They too, could do with some support from their congregation, and recognition for their love.
Before dismissing the possibility, consider once more the case of a married couple, one that has been married, say, for ten years, and remain childless. When they present themselves for communion, does the priest assume that they are using contraception, and deny the sacrament? Of course, it could be that there are natural causes at work. Let us simplify the case further, let us say that both couples have had children by previous marriages, marriages which ended tragically in the deaths of their spouses. They are now in en entirely licit new marriage and each has established proof of fertility. Still the priest, although he might have questions in his mind, will not refuse communion, because he will assume that the couple have worked things out in conscience and good faith.
Why can the church not approach modern same sex couples in the same spirit? The case for church recognition of celibate civil unions I showed above to be incontestable. I submit that if we truly apply Catholic teaching on the importance of conscience, and on not judging the state of an other’s conscience, there is equally a strong case for Church recognition of unions that are not necessarily celibate.