Minneapolis, Minn., Nov 26, 2007 / 08:25 am
I was pleased that Joe Towalski, editor of The Catholic Spirit, addressed the issue of the church's teaching on homosexuality, derived as it is from an understanding of the natural moral law, and the reason why those who promote homosexual activity or a homosexual lifestyle are not permitted to speak at Catholic institutions.
I thought his presentation was balanced and quite helpful as far as it went. I propose this column as a sequel to his, in the sense of providing four footnotes, if you will, to the points he made:
• At their special assembly in Denver from June 14 to 19, 2004, just before the last presidential election, the U.S. bishops issued a document clarifying the role of Catholic politicians with respect to their stands on moral issues within the public arena.
This point was our collective resolve that Catholic churches, colleges and other institutions should not give "awards, honors or platforms" to persons who, whether Catholic or not, held public positions contrary to the church's defined teaching. To do so would cause scandal, leading Catholics to be confused about what is right and wrong according to the teachings of the church, prompting them to endorse or even to commit immoral behavior.