Your November bishop’s meeting. We’ll post these separately, for the sake of discussion.

First, they will be discussing norms for ministry to homosexual persons:

The guidelines begin with a statement of general principles, including the fundamental dignity of each person as created by God. The document says the Church teaches that persons with a homosexual inclination “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity,” and it condemns all forms of violence, scorn, and hatred, whether subtle or overt.

“Those who would minister in the name of the Church must in no way contribute to such injustice,” the guidelines state. “They should prayerfully examine their own hearts in order to discern any thoughts or feelings that might stand in need of purification. Those who minister are also called to their own ongoing conversion. In fact, the work of spreading the Good News involves an ever-increasing love for those to whom one is ministering.”

Stating that the phenomenon of homosexuality poses challenges that can only be met with the help of a clear understanding of the place of sexuality within God’s plan for humanity, the document says: “By its very nature, human sexuality finds its proper fulfillment in the marital bond. Any sexual act that takes place outside the indissoluble and lifelong bond of marriage does not fulfill the proper ends of human sexuality. It is not directed toward the expression of marital love with an openness to new life. It is disordered in that it is not in accord with this twofold end and is thus morally wrong.”

“Because of both Original Sin and personal sin, moral disorder is all too common in our world today, among both heterosexual and homosexual persons,” the document says.

The guidelines state that while the Church teaches that homosexual acts are immoral, there is a distinction between engaging in homosexual acts and having a homosexual orientation. “While the former is always sinful, the latter is not.”

“It is crucially important to understand that saying a person has a particular inclination that is disordered is not to say that the person as a whole is disordered. Nor does it mean that one has been rejected by God or the Church.”

Given that a considerable number of people experience same-sex attraction as an inclination they did not choose raises the question of whether or not this situation can be changed with the help of some kind of clinical intervention, or therapy, the guidelines state.

“There is currently no scientific consensus on the cause of the homosexual inclination,” the document asserts “There is no consensus on therapy. Some have found therapy helpful. There is, however, no moral obligation to attempt it.”

Specific guidelines in the document address issues which arise in the areas of church participation, catechesis, sacraments and worship, and pastoral support. Key points include:

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