Just so you know …

… Approaching Pride Month as a Catholic.

This month thus provides an opportunity for Catholics to better understand and share the Church’s teaching about homosexuality. The same CDF Letter that condemns violent and discriminatory treatment of people who experience same-sex attractions goes on to remind us that the proper response to misunderstanding and sinful behavior is not to change the Church’s teaching, but to follow it more closely and teach it more clearly. While calling us to deep respect for the person who is experiencing same-sex attractions, the Church makes it clear that there is one unique context in which sexual intimacy can be holy: the lifelong, faithful covenant of marriage between a man and a woman whose sexual relations are open to the procreation of children. The Church’s insistence that same-sex intimate partnerships are not part of God’s plan for sexuality is meant not to discriminate or harm anyone, but rather to call people to a deeper appreciation for the meaning of sexual intimacy and to more fully embrace chastity.