EDITORIAL

Too Proud for the Truth

Posted

Two weeks ago, the President of the United States declared the following: “By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, [I] do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.”

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith provides helpful guidance in this area: “Departure from the Church’s teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral. The neglect of the Church’s position prevents homosexual men and women from receiving the care they need and deserve.”

The immorality of homosexual acts and the inappropriateness of defining one by his or her sexual desire is not mean or intolerant, but simply the truth. Acknowledging the dignity of every person does not include celebrating an immoral lifestyle. In fact, recognizing human dignity means acknowledging the holiness to which one is called.

As the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith points out, silence in the area of sexual morality does not provide a genuinely pastoral solution. Everybody needs to hear the truth which alone will set free. It is what Pope Francis says: you can water-down fruit juice but not the Gospel.

The President is simply wrong about marriage and wrong to celebrate the gay lifestyle. It doesn’t actually help people to keep silent about the truth of how to live and how to love. Under the guise of compassion, an effort to force social change by declaring gay pride month is not a proud moment for this presidency.