Dear Anonymous,

We are not defined by our sexuality. All human beings are good and worthy of respect because they are human persons made in the image and likeness of God.

Sexuality is a gift of God that mirrors His nature of eternal life-giving communion. The Church's teaching on sexuality may be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which may be found and searched online.

Mary Ann

Hi, Anonymous —

The terms homosexuals and bisexuals as nouns have little meaning when it comes to natural law or human nature itself. We are a species that is sexual as male and female; ordered to come together for the purposes of true union and procreation. In that sense, no human is a homosexual or bisexual.

Church doctrine also has little to say about feelings, affections, and attractions that may be disordered or that do not correspond to the proper operation of our nature and its purposes.
A sexual disorientation such as "homosexuality" or "bisexuality" may have several root causes in individuals, some of which might be uncovered during examination or therapy.

What the Church is concerned about is acts. Acts of the will and of the body. Homosexual acts are wrong on many levels. They contradict the very purpose and meaning of human sexuality;
a sexuality where one flesh (reflected by the conjugal act between a husband and wife) potentially becoming three persons, reflecting the Trinity.

Using the body in a homosexual manner is objectively abusive and can never express true love nor give life. Homosexual activity is morally wrong, and if performed with deliberate and free consent (rather than compulsion) would constitute serious sin. For more info, try www.couragerc.org, or reading Persona Humana.

Paul

Anonymous —

Christ's teaching as proclaimed by the Catholic Church may also be found in On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons.

Also see the United States Bishop's guidelines for the pastoral care of homosexual persons.

The Catechism, starting at paragraph 2357 and going to paragraph 2359 says:

Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex.
It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them 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.

Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Eric

Hi, Anonymous —

I just wish to address one point.

You said:

• What is the opinion of the Catholic Church towards bisexuals and homosexuals?
• Do you agree with it or disagree, and is the Church tolerant of it?

First of all, the Church doesn't officially have an opinion about anything. The Church has teachings. When these teachings are in the area of faith and morals, all Catholics are bound to assent to and follow them faithfully. So we CAN NOT EVER dissent from a church teaching and still remain in full communion with Holy Mother Church.

For example, the natural end of marriage for centuries was said to be the procreation and education of children. While that is still true, the unitive personal dimension of marriage has been given much attention in the past few decades to make the teaching fuller and perhaps more complete; and to this day it is still being developed.

You see Catholicism is not a "buffet" or "cafeteria" religion. One is either Catholic or not Catholic.

So when it comes to Church Teaching:

One can't be 99% Catholic, just like one can't be 99% pregnant.

It's a simple binary situation.

John