Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale508

the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual

complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved".3

Homosexual unions

Sr. Farley writes: "Legislation for nondiscrimination against homosex-

uals, but also for domestic partnerships, civil unions, and gay marriage,

can also be important in transforming the hatred, rejection, and stigmatiza-

tion of gays and lesbians that is still being reinforced by teachings of

'unnatural' sex, disordered desire, and dangerous love. ... Presently one

of the most urgent issues before the U.S. public is marriage for same-sex

partners - that is, the granting of social recognition and legal standing

to unions between lesbians and gays comparable to unions between hetero-

sexuals" (P. 293).

This position is opposed to the teaching of the Magisterium: "The Church

teaches that the respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to

approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual un-

ions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect

marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. Legal recog-

nition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage

would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence

of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic

values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church

cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the

good of society itself".4 "The principles of respect and non-discrimination

cannot be invoked to support legal recognition of homosexual unions. Differ-

entiating between persons or refusing social recognition or benefits is unac-

ceptable only when it is contrary to justice. The denial of the social and legal

status of marriage to forms of cohabitation that are not and cannot be

marital is not opposed to justice; on the contrary, justice requires it".5

3 Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2357; cfr Gn 19:1-29; Rm 1:24-27; I Cor 6:10; 1 Tm 1:10;

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Persona humana, n. 8: AAS 68 (1976),

84-85; Id., Letter Homosexualitatis problema on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons

(October 1, 1986): AAS 70 (1987), 543-554. 4 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Considerations regarding proposals to give

legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons (June 3, 2003), n. 11: AAS 96 (2004), 48. 5 Ibid., n. 8: AAS 96 (2004), 46-47.