'Homosexuals will not get into Heaven' is not the true Catholic teaching, Vatican spokesman clarifies

Rome, Italy, Dec 2, 2009 / 17:42 pm

Following the release of comments attributed to Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, according to which allegedly he said that homosexuals will not go to Heaven, Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., explained that such statement is not the official teaching of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Lozano Barragan, former President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers, who is now retired but lives in Rome, was quoted by the Italian news website "Pontifex News" saying “trans(sexuals) and homosexuals will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven, and it’s not me who says it, but Saint Paul.”

Responding to a follow-up question from Italian religious journalist Bruno Volpe, the Cardinal allegedly added that those who feel homosexual impulses “perhaps aren't guilty, but by acting against the dignity of the body they will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Pressed for comment, Fr. Federico Lombardi said that Pontifex News “should not be considered an authority on Catholic thinking,” especially “on complex and delicate issues such as homosexuality.”

Pontifex News has previously been involved in controversies regarding the accuracy of their quotes. Last year, Cardinal Juan Sandoval of Guadalajara, Mexico, strongly denied a quote attributed by Pontifex to him, in which he allegedly said that a former Mexican president was responsible for the murder of his predecessor, Cardinal Juan Posadas.

Despite repeated complaints, Pontifex never posted a correction, so Cardinal Sandoval requested that other Catholic media –including CNA- set the record straight.

Fr. Lombardi also quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2358, which says that “the number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.”