By Judie Brown
German bishops seem to have a misperception about marriage. Or at least it appears that way to us. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and Freising, “has instructed the priests and full-time pastoral staff in the archdiocese to introduce the controversial handout ‘Blessing Gives Strength to Love’ as the basis of pastoral care.”
According to the German bishop, this document “is not the celebration of a sacramental marriage.” Yet an EWTN News article states, “This does not mean that the blessing of a non-sacramental union, which in many cases is already a civil marriage, moves the couple to the margins of the community and the Church.”
In response to this, Pope Leo sent his own mixed message, saying “First of all, I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters. . . . We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual, and in reality, I believe there are much greater and more important issues, such as justice, the equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue.”
Perhaps the Holy Father thought that such a statement would ameliorate the firestorm coming from those who were appalled by the German bishop’s statement, but by suggesting that the German statement could cause more disunity than unity, he opened the door for debate, or at the very least discussion.
This may be an American version of peacemaking, but on the subject of homosexuality, the Catechism’s teaching is, or at least should be, paramount. Teaching that such behavior is “intrinsically disordered” underscores the fundamental truth. Given this fact, we would have appreciated more clarity from the Holy Father on the subject of homosexual unions, blessings, and so on.
Following this recent series of reports, I was reminded of what Saint John Paul II wrote in “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons”: “The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving and live-giving union of men and women in the sacrament of marriage. It is only in the marital relationship that the use of the sexual faculty can be morally good. A person engaging in homosexual behavior therefore acts immorally.”
This document went on to teach:
As in every moral disorder, homosexual activity prevents one’s own fulfillment and happiness by acting contrary to the creative wisdom of God. The Church, in rejecting erroneous opinions regarding homosexuality, does not limit but rather defends personal freedom and dignity realistically and authentically understood. . . .
The Lord Jesus promised, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (Jn. 8:32). Scripture bids us speak the truth in love (cf. Eph. 4:15). The God who is at once truth and love calls the Church to minister to every man, woman and child with the pastoral solicitude of our compassionate Lord. It is in this spirit that we have addressed this Letter to the Bishops of the Church, with the hope that it will be of some help as they care for those whose suffering can only be intensified by error and lightened by truth.
The truth of which Saint John Paul II writes is timeless in nature. And so, as we contemplate the disunity of the German bishops on the subject of marriage, we ask for prayers for these men. May the Lord open their eyes to the merciful charity that comes about when human beings are “lightened by truth.”