'Catholic sexual revolution' not proper response, Fr. Granados replies to Christopher West

Washington D.C., May 29, 2009 / 23:14 pm

The debate over whether or not Christopher West accurately conveys John Paul II's Theology of the Body witnessed another addition on Friday as Fr. Jose Granados cautioned that modern society's sexual issues cannot be solved with a 'Catholic sexual revolution.'

Submissions from numerous Catholic theologians, including Drs. David Schindler, Janet Smith and Michael Waldstein have come out in reaction to criticism of the popular work conducted by West.

Dr. David Schindler, dean of the John Paul II Institute in Washington D.C., criticized West’s teaching for significantly misrepresenting Pope John Paul II’s thought, describing his approach as “too much about sex and too romantic” and calling on him to subject his theology to “renewed reflection.”

Dr. Janet Smith argued in favor of Christopher West's views, saying that they were “sensationalized” in the ABC Nightline interview that sparked the debate. Smith also asserted that some orthodox Catholic ethicists agree with West's controversial teaching that anal sex as foreplay that leads to intercourse is morally acceptable.

For his part, Dr. Michael Waldstein said Schindler made “sweeping accusations” against a position he did not recognize as West’s and that the proper forum for this discussion is an academic journal. Waldstein stated that West has correctly identified tendencies within the American culture that treat the body and sex as bad and that West’s main strength is his “effective communication” of John Paul II’s teaching on a popular level.

The latest addition to the debate came on Friday afternoon from Fr. Jose Granados, an associate professor at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family.

Fr. Granados took issue with the claim that John Paul II took the sexual revolution a step further, calling it “highly inadequate” and “open to serious misunderstanding.”

Both the Puritanism and the sexual revolution, he charged, see the body “without reference to the dignity of the person and to the plan of God for man; it is deprived of its symbolism and its language.”

“The recovery of the meaning of the body,” Granados explained, “with reference to love and to the mystery of man and God, is the novelty brought about by John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. The Pope’s proposal is not about sexuality, but about the truth of love as the foundation of the person’s dignity and the meaning of reality; and about the family as the place where the person finds himself and his way towards happiness.”

“Moreover, one of the results of the sexual revolution is precisely the pansexualism that surrounds our society. We cannot respond with a different kind of pansexualism, with a sort of 'Catholic sexual revolution,' which in the end promotes a similar obsession with sex, even if 'holy,'” the priest argued.

To read Fr. Granados' full statement visit: http://www.headlinebistro.com/en/news/granados_west.html#