Richard A. Micallef, Ta' l-Ibraġ
Apology due to Church for articles on homosexuality
The recent UN issue of decriminalising homosexuality worldwide has been another reason for many anti-Catholics, homosexuals, gays and LGBT's to twist the truth.
This polemic was raised because the Vatican expressed its reservations about the proposed wording, which apart from the original intent to decriminalise homosexuality, included the additional categories "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" in the UN Resolution.
These are not recognised or clearly defined in international legislation, and could eventually lead to serious judicial uncertainty. This declaration could become a means to put pressure on or discriminate against those who, to give a very clear example, consider marriage between a man and a woman the fundamental and original form of social life. Another example being, that in the UK, Catholic adoption agencies would be in breach of law if they refuse to grant adoption to homosexuals or gays.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore's interview (December 19) - read in its entirety - was very clear and in no way was to defend the death penalty for homosexuals, as some people aim to insinuate.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church not only excludes the death penalty but all forms of legislation that are violent or discriminatory towards homosexuals. The Vatican statement of December 19 reaffirmed this statement.
Kenneth Zammit Tabona in his comment piece of December 23, requests that the Church or its "self appointed paladins" apologise publicly for the patronising and hurtful letters they send.
After reading his article - to quote: "the stonewalling of the Catholic Church"; "have to be considered with an open mind"; "hurtful and incomprehensible that the Church"; "(without) homosexuality the world would have been the poorer"; "God created Man...He is prepared to accept us as we are"; "homosexual love is love and...cannot be negated"; "only a few bigots..."; "stand taken by the Catholic Church was nothing short of repugnant" - and others much worse on LGBT sites, I feel that a public apology is due to the Catholic Church.
I am in entire agreement with all legislation that prohibits discrimination against homosexuals. However, my concern with the LGBT's lobby is their agenda, and as Mr Zammit Tabona stated we now live in an "accepting" and not just "tolerating" society. The problem I see is that we are now moving towards "a legislated society that muzzles the Church and any person from professing his faith" and be accused of the crime of being homophobic, if one expresses disagreement. In 1982 Pope John Paul II stated that in the past a sin was called a sin, but now what was considered a sin has acquired "citizenship" through the enactment of many laws. This prophetic statement was made 26 years ago!
The God I know is a loving God who is always ready to forgive and save man from being cast into the deepest pit, not to condemn him. With regards to homosexuality, the Church teaches that some persons have a homosexual tendency. Stating that God's creation is beautiful in its diversity, to justify being homosexual, is stretching it a bit. The Catechism of the Church no. 2357 - 2359 explains very well its teaching, but at the same time clearly states that every homosexual act is per se a disorderly act since it goes against natural law.
The Church teaches us and calls upon all homosexuals to live in chastity, and with prayer and the sacraments to live a Christian life. Just as much as married couples are encouraged to enrich their relationship with God and live the virtue of chastity - no. 2349. I agree entirely with Mr Zammit Tabona's concluding note - the Catholic Church will always remain the strongest moral voice in the world.
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Joe Zammit
Jan 20th 2009, 17:04
God's law is for all men and all women. We have the Natural Law to obey and God's positive law to enlighten our Natural Law. It is our duty to follow this law for our own good. Going against this law is detrimental to all humanity. Homosexuality is evil and against natural. So homosexuality is detrimental to humanity. This will remain true till the end of the last man or woman on earth. Evil will end but good will triumph for ever.
Joe Xuereb
Jan 18th 2009, 22:22
@ E. Vella. NO WAY this, NOW WAY that, you say. And your point is? I presume you are among those permutations somewhere. How are YOU affected by this strict 'NO WAY' prohibition E. Vella?
E.Vella
Jan 12th 2009, 22:33
With all the respect guys. You cannot mix celibacy with homosexuality. Celibacy is renuntiation for the Kingdom of God. Homosexuality, is immoral from its very self for it is not open for life.
A gay can be Catholic? yes he can
Will the Catholic Church approve homosexual behaviour - man with man - woman with woman - man with woman outside marriage - NO WAY
Joe Zammit
Jan 10th 2009, 20:38
The word of God and his Catholic Church is like a sword that cuts on both sides. This is clearly shown by the poor insipid answers I am having. Thank God that the great majority of Maltese and Gozitans think and feel the way the Catholic Church, as their genuine Mother, teaches. There is a clear consistency within Holy Scripture itself on the moral issue of homosexual behaviour. The Church's doctrine regarding this issue is thus based on the solid foundation of a constant Biblical testimony. Love all homosexuals but not their abominable acts. To love them means to help them to come out of their sinful life. That's what the Catholic Church has done and will continue to do.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 9th 2009, 23:35
cont./ Maybe Joe Zammit is one of so many unfortunate Catholics,riddled with sexual guilt, who have been indoctrinated into believing that sexual congress (between and man and a woman, obviously) is about pure selfless giving. Disappointingly, and to his great chagrin, nature dictates otherwise. This leaves him confused as he believe nature and god to be one and the same thing. So he waits and hopes that one day he will wake up with a pure and urge (filthy word, urge!) to give. Until then, he sits composing comments tothe Times,his sex life in abeyance.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 9th 2009, 23:20
I noticed that Joe Zammit's language and choice of words were pretty neutral and unemotive initially. He was careful to use language that gave one to understand that he hated the sin and not the sinner. Indeed, umpteenth times he said this was position of the Church in this respect. More recently (see his latest) he said 'to help them come out of their FILTHY acts'. This emotive language is a dead giveaway. A subtle(?) graduation from 'they are worthy of respect and must not be shown violence' to 'filthy acts. Unless he is losing the plot entirely, I feel their is a personal hatred here. He then goes on to say homosexual love is about 'egoism and lust'. I am not aware that there are qualities other than these. But let us stay with Joe. If the opposite of egoism is selfless, than, according to Joe, a selfless person will make love to another person (heterosexual coupling of course) simply to please the other person and entirely forgetting him/herself. I do not think so. Then there is the notion of lust. What is there supposed to be if not lust. Thinking of bacon butties maybe?! cont./
Franco Rizzo
Jan 9th 2009, 20:42
Another brainwashing sermon avoiding questions and challenges...
Blessed be this, blessed be that. And you have just contradicted the Church's doctrine of love for all...but for homosexuals, God thinks twice it seems.
Joe Zammit
Jan 9th 2009, 17:18
Our dear Catholic Church lovingly carries out her pastoral work with homosexuals to help them come out of their filthy acts. She assures people with homosexual tendency that to refrain from behaving homosexually is not an option. It is commanded by God and there is no love of God unless one denies himself to do God's will. Show your love to God by the way you behave. Homosexual acts amount only to egoism and lust. They are unnatural. Blessed are those who, by God's grace, have succeeded to overcome their sinful tendency and are living in grace, joy and peace of mind. This conversion is open to all homosexuals.
Franco Rizzo
Jan 9th 2009, 01:22
Daniel, that infantile world you describe matches exactly with that presented by the visions of the painter Hieronymus Bosch, which must be Mr Zammit's favourite personality.
Thanks, Mr Xuereb, for the comparison with Dustin Hoffman, though I see more of myself as The Graduate hehe...
As for Mr Zammit, please now, I am begging you to stop this approach to the arguments we are challenging you with! It's as if we are arguing with an automated response machine. And again refrain from jumping to conclusions about issues which no one can solve by Faith alone!
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 8th 2009, 21:42
cont./ If I remember rightly, Maltese society espets people to keep secret any donditions, etc. since they are seen as lapses. Strange for a Catholic country. The Church has its own spin, shallowly comforting its flock by patting them on the heaad (ouch!), telling them they should be grateful God has not forgotten them. Am I right or am Iright? To suffer from a phyical condition is seen as a shortcoming that would jeopardise one's prospect of marriage and that of family members, and so on. I wrote all this because I am hopeing there are readers here who are much younger than I am. Often, and by the nature of things,they lack positive role models (quite the reverse in fact, as evident here). I trust that my candour will inspire to grasp the meaning of humanity true humility. And most importantly, there is no shame in human conditions, be they of a sexual nature, or physical. I hope this will be a valid message in this, the new year. I love you ALL. Please do not forget. Knowledge is everythiing for survival. Go in peace and take care of yourselves and yours.
Joe
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 8th 2009, 20:55
cont./ .....or maybe because of major surgery. The brain is still ticking. For the annals (almost said anals there LoL) I came to London in 1961. Worked for the Government since then (having left my teaching post in Malta). I am now retired. Never had a single penny from the Welfare System. Took care of myself for near enough half a century. No drugs. Hardly any alcolhol in spite of a culture immersed in it. When I am ill I take care of myself. And of course, I sometimes used to seek some diversion with a guy. Big deal.
Then of course along comes someone who knows me not from Adam and spouts platitudes of the kind that would normally make one run for the bucket. But I' am a big boy now so I will pass. Yes, condescending platitudes about God loving me, me deserving respect and no violence. And of course that I need to stop 'abusing' my body with man if I am to achieve any acceptance from above and here below, by people of a certain piousness, dubious at best. How can I say all, or any of this, in seventeen words? cont./
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 8th 2009, 20:41
Thanks Daniel. You got my drift. To one and all, I opologise for my wordy comments. If one has something to say, one should say it with no equivocation. Dealing with serious matters, leaving things to change and expecting people to read between the lines is wrong. And yet, 'the good books' are notorious exactly for that. Reading between the lines left to the reader is a likely ploy by the writer, one not entirely sure about his/her convictions.
The problem with lengthy comments is that they can not bear final editing. Hence, because what I say is so well ingrained in my brain, what I say(write) is straight off the top of my head and onto the typing screen. Hence the spelling mistakes and overlapping words and phrases. On a lap that only has one hinge so it has to be balanced somewhat. Not an easy task. Talking about brain, and for anyoneinterested, only a few months ago I had a brain tumour excised and I am still in recovery. Without knowing, I had it since childhood. Physically I have been going down the pan for years. But my brain, in spite of major surgery cont./
Daniel Bartolo
Jan 8th 2009, 19:09
@Joe Xuereb
Ooopps...lapsus....seriously, though, Joe, your wise contributions always add sparkle and elegance to these comments, well done!
@Joe Zammit
You seem to be living in an infantile medieval world of fairies (!), monsters, gods and devils. Wake up, life is not black and white you know and you're a grown up now. And get a life by the way. You seem too seriously preoccupied with what other grownups are doing with their lives for your own good. Don't you have anything else useful to do with your life?
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 8th 2009, 18:52
Franco Rizzo/Ritzo (reminds me of Midnight Cowboy). Comments have to be injected with humour (re: 2009). Even the most serious matter can be approached with a quip and a smile. If nothing else, it shows the commentator to be a humorous, friendly and approachable sort. A well-rounded person in other words. I find it hilarious when people speak of homosexuals and in the same breath claim that they respect and that they must not be shown violence. How magnanimous. Mere PC words naturally. Certainly not heartfelt. And this vomit inducing tokenism is apparent when some confused lamb like our Joe Zammit here sugars the pill by speaking of these worthies (of respect ie) as having, wait for it, 'a homosexual tendency'. Slip of the tongue or what? How dare Joe Zammit call my homosexuality a tendency (implying I guess that it can easily be overcome and thus the changed homosexual, will fit into the Church's, and his, mould. No Mr. Zammit. Much more serious than a 'passing' tendency. I am more of a rampant, marauding homosexual. To my good self of course. In Malta, in Maltese chatrooms, where people are not used to such candour, I am called nature's freak.
Joe Zammit
Jan 8th 2009, 16:55
The Catholic Church cannot approve of redefining marriage. Marriage means only and refers only to a couple of spouses, consisting of a man and a woman in a committed relationship of love, not of lust, in order to nurture and support the new life for which marriage is intended. God created human beings and God has created the institution of marriage. Christ reconfirmed what God had made in the beginning. So a gay marriage is a contradiction and the Catholic Church shall never accept such a contradiction. A contradiction for God, for the Church and for all men of good will is falsehood. God and his Church are the truth.
Franco Rizzo
Jan 8th 2009, 15:08
I think that goes to Mr Zammit as well. Daniel's mistake must have surely been unintentional.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 7th 2009, 23:19
Daniel, the festivities are over, you have had more than enough to drink, wake up and smell a strong black coffee. It is now 2009.
Joe Zammit
Jan 7th 2009, 17:31
Persons with homosexual tendency are human beings and as such they must be respected as well. No violence or hatred against them. They are called to holiness and must be encouraged to take an active role in the Catholic community and live according to the teaching of the Catholic Church. This has been the attitude of the Catholic Church towards these people, which attitude has proved to be greatly fruitful and encouraging to them. In their heart of hearts homosexual people know who sincerely wants them to move forward in the love of God and who wants them to remain slaves of the devil.
Daniel Bartolo
Jan 7th 2009, 09:55
@Joe Zammit
And all the bad guys ended up in hell and the good guys in heaven, and lived happily ever after. This is 2008, Mr.Zammit not 1008!
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 6th 2009, 21:26
Ha ha! incredible!
Joe Zammit...Blessed are those who understand written English....
Read my questions again...perhaps a miracle shall occur and you'll understand written English.....
Franco Rizzo
Jan 6th 2009, 19:00
As you see, my point exactly, Jeremy.
Joe Zammit
Jan 6th 2009, 17:15
The Catholic Church can never abandon the teaching of Christ because Christ is with her till the end of time. She will be persecuted, even by false teaching, but she and her infallible teaching will prevail for ever. Many thought they would annihilate her, but they have disappeared from the face of the earth and the Church is still growing strong. Blessed are those who call themselves the faithful children of the Church. Her invincible voice will continue to echo in the whole world for ever.
Franco Rizzo
Jan 5th 2009, 20:31
It's no use arguing Jeremy, because your argument will be flicked off with even more cathecist, ultra-religious spoon feeding. Being human is something the institutionalized religions leave out for their own sake.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 5th 2009, 19:00
The church has abandoned Christ's tesaching long ago....
Wonder why?
Joe Zammit
Jan 5th 2009, 17:13
Jesus Christ founded an institutionalized Church and he set up only ONE Church, the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church. Christ does not need us, we need him. If we abandon him, we will be the sufferers. The Church will continue on her mission for the salvation of all. That's why she constantly points out to us what we should do to love and please God. She expounds her doctrine clearly for all people of good will. She mentions what is good to be done and what is evil to be avoided. She offers us all help to avoid sin and live a virtuous life. A virtuous life is open to all.
Franco Rizzo
Jan 4th 2009, 23:37
An expected reply, as usual filled with "convert and don't sin". And I ask why the church even needs priests when they got their man right here. I won't say "I tried to pry open your eyes, Mr Zammit" or anything like that, because that would be plain presumptuous. I once was a faithful churchgoer, not anymore. I have experienced just enough reality to come to certain conclusions about religion. I am not a child anymore, because children are spoonfed such teachings. Nevertheless, yes I do believe in a God, be it Allah or Buddha for all it matters. But spare me the insitutionalised God of any church.
Only one tip: ditch the spoonfeeding and adopt proper dialogue.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 4th 2009, 23:17
Joe Zammit, just re read your previous contribution, and you'll realise that you have ignored these quotatitons.
Don't worry, you may continue to judge and condemn, but thats on your head, not mine.
Joe Zammit
Jan 4th 2009, 21:09
All the mentioned quotations from the Bible are true. But no quotation contradicts what I have said, rather all quotations confirm that the Catholic Church teaches the truth. Blessed are those who listen to her teaching because they live in truth and in light. To add another quotation from the Bible I would like to refer to 1 Cor. 6,11 where St Paul congratulates those sinners (among them homosexuals) who had converted from their shameful and sinful life by the following words: "And such were some of you (among them homosexuals). But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Franco Rizzo
Jan 4th 2009, 03:03
Truth is, the reason why your oh-so-beloved Church survives in the first place is because the Roman Empire embraced the new religion within itself!
Hence the Roman Catholic Church.
Politics. Now that's one undeniable truth.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 4th 2009, 00:10
Joe Zammit, on the other hand, after the Catholics persecuted millions.
Tortur,e rape and genopcide was the order of the day when the Catholic Church had the power. Was Christ with his church then as well?
ANy opinions?
Ps...When accusing others of leading a morally evil life, I would like to point out that once upon a time a certain gentleman told us,
"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
Furthermore : Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye .
That is the trouble with moral Catholic crusaders nowadays...they tend to ignore the bible....
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 3rd 2009, 21:45
Oh Mr. Flynn, you little devil, you.
Joe Zammit
Jan 3rd 2009, 20:42
Truth makes us free. The Catholic Church tells us the truth and will continue to spread her truth, which is God's truth, till the end of time. There will always be those who disagree, especially those who are leading a morally evil life. But Christ is with his Church for ever. In the first centuries of her existence, the strong Roman Empire persecuted her. The Roman Empire came to an end, but the Catholic Church is still moving on vigorously. Blessed are those who can call themselves faithful children of the Catholic Church because they are always victorious over the devil and his followers.
William P Flynn
Jan 3rd 2009, 02:44
@KZT
Don't know who are harder to take - the priests or the "wannabe's". Now that you mention it, the former have been noticeably less vocal recently. Do you think they got a message from higher up? A message like, "If you really want to help the Church, please shut up"?
Perhaps they're nursing foot gunshot wounds. One hopes their feet will heal quickly. They're going to need them to assist the Catholic church with the back-pedalling on this decriminalization of homosexuality issue.
I'd agree that homosexuals should be allowed to marry if they want to and have every right that the rest of us have. But good luck if you think such a marriage would eliminate promiscuity. It certainly never worked with heterosexuals.
Franco Rizzo
Jan 3rd 2009, 00:37
Some people in such institutions have too much power in their hands that they think they can change the world, or a person's sexual orientation. These people are the very fabric of fundamentalist think-tanks. Even worse is that they have a following.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 2nd 2009, 20:44
I have to barge in again (though I make no apologies for I have my convictions). The Church's stance on these matters affects me and the quality of my life. It is, therefore, in my interest to speak up and defend my corner. Like Kenneth (he of the Zammit Tabonas) says, nobody from within the Institutions comes forward to defend his or her corner. Why does it always have to be lay people who clamour to save me, with their platitudes and patronage. What has it got to do with them, interestingly always declaring their heterosexuality to the last one. It IS interesting. But baffling. But then I am an intriguing little sod. Whoever gave me a brain expected me to use it. And I do, I do!
Kenneth Zammit Tabona
Jan 2nd 2009, 19:34
Here we go again
For correctness' sake Mr Micallef I DID NOT ASK THE CHURCH TO APOLOGISE! read my article again. I do require an apology from people like you, like Mr Zammit and Mrs Calleja though and other self appointed paladins that purport to defend morality even at the expense of emarginating and discriminating against a 5th of the world's population and denying them the happiness of being in a full relationship just because some superannuated book written at the time when a woman and a sheep were of the same value , says so?
As you can read for yourself not one priest has dared put his name to any comment and it appears that you are alone in condemning what is a natural right. For shame.
How dare you try to impose celibacy on me and other people like me! What you do not seem to realise is that promiscuity will always be there just as it is in the hetero world. LGBT groups require gay marriage to eliminate promiscuity just as people who want divorce are pro-marriage!
If you cannot see that?
Adrian Buckle
Jan 2nd 2009, 19:16
To the author of this letter and those who agree with him:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q2R7O-0WRo
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 2nd 2009, 19:10
cont./ Monogamy is not a fact of life (ie natural). It is an aspiration. It is an aspiration that at best, just panders to the social contruct that is marriage. So for one to argue that 'God' created man for woman - which for the sake of procreation nobody would dispute - is really only the beginning of the matter. Having 'coupled', as sentient humans, the demons that we have to deal with, hetero and homo, come alongside and later as Man's consciousness developed and evolved. And that is the real issue. How else was Man to cope with his certainly mortality. He had to resort to buffers. That he has had to live with ever since. And which in turn have created other problems. The moral is. When you create a lie, how do you begin to start to undo. Heavy stuff I know. But we have to deal with it. The only token comfort in all this is that, homosexual and heterosexual, we are all in the same boat. Struggling through life, fighting our demons. Mostly inflicted unnecessarily. But there is an antidote. Accept death and that is it, end of story. It is called getting a life.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 2nd 2009, 18:48
Nature, which is messy but there you are, is about reproduction being animal or plant (and mineral too presumably). It is not concerned with celibacy, fidelity, etc. It just multiplies. Now where does this leave the whole 'man plus woman' argument. Naturally, this coupling is necessary for procreation, no argument there. Nature got that one right. It had no choice. Maybe we shall never know if Nature created homosexuals for a purpose. It may have and it is up to conscious Man to find out. The writing is on the wall maybe? Overpopulated planet anyone? Just a thought. Of course consciousness soon indicated that children, of all animals need a long time rearing. Hence the long-term coupling. Eventually, this saw the birth of marriage as an institution. Religion and the State saw to the rest. The celibacy, the chastity, the fidelity, the jealousy. None of these are Nature's work. It is all conjured up by men. It is called social constructs. Necessary for the State to implement to keep Society in check. It is all man-made. In modern parlance, we call it social control. One crucial thing to bear in mind. Monogamy is not a fact of life. cont./
Joe Zammit
Jan 2nd 2009, 17:15
The Catholic Church speaks briefly but clearly about homosexuals, about the spiritual steps they can take and the spiritual care the Church can give them (Ref. Catechism par. 2357 - 2359). For those who want to read more on the pastoral care by the Church there is also the "Letter to the Bishops of the Cathoic Church on the Pastoral Care of homosexual Persons" issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. One can easily find it on the internet.
lgalea
Jan 2nd 2009, 14:31
Michelle Wood
They do Michelle. Have a look at http://www.fpqrp.com/pighist.htm
Other commentators.
No one is denying you your right to live as you please, but you cannot have what you are not qualified for.
Marriage requires a man and a woman, not two men or two women.
You are free to join up with your partner, but you cannot call your partnership a marriage and expect to have rights which are inherent in a marriage.
If two people qualify they are both eligible for their certificate and/or warrant.
However, if you qualify as an auditor you cannot expect to be granted a certificate/warrant as a lawyer or any other profession for which you do not qualify, and neither would you expect the rules to be changed because you want to get the certificate/warrant for which you are not qualified.
George Debono
Jan 2nd 2009, 13:37
I ask yet again why is the church so obsessed with SEX and all that when humans (......of ALL gender or religious persuasions) inflict so much much evil and suffering on others of their kind? This not to mention cruelty on our fellow animal creatures?
What Kenneth wrote is a fair representation of the truth, whereas comments like yours - "The God I know is a loving God who is always ready to forgive and save man from being cast into the deepest pit........." are empty wishy washy platitudes of the 'I'm alright, Jack' sort. This God of yours does not seem to love eberybody - he has certainly abandoned or forgotten millions who are suffering so wretchedly say, in parts of Africa .
Where is the compassion of this God ? Going by what you say, It seems your God is more interested in casting those who do not toe the line "into the deepest pit" .
G
Joseph Anthony Debono
Jan 2nd 2009, 12:41
Mr. Micallef is right. The Vatican objected not to the decriminalization of homosexuality but to the draft proposal which “does not just ask for the decriminalization of homosexuality. It also includes a declaration that might put pressure on or discriminate against communities that uphold marriage as only being between a man and a woman.” (http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0806042.htm). It is hard to believe that any sane person would contest the fact that whatever the nature of a homosexual relationship, it is not the same as, or equivalent to, the social and biological bond between a man and a woman. In this context, the Vatican was entirely right to oppose any declaration that may come to be used to equate any homosexual relationship with heterosexual marriage. The shame belongs to the EU and the UN which conspired to put a call for the decriminalization of homosexuality on the same proposal that may be used to equate homosexual relationships with heterosexual conjugality and to put pressure for the international community to do likewise.
Jeremy J Camilleri
Jan 2nd 2009, 12:03
Strange comments coming from a church made of priests....a number of whom cannot respect their own vows of chastity.....
The amount of money paid by the Church to victims in the US is proof enough....
I am a hetero sexual, I was born that way. Homo sexuals are born homo sexuals...why does it have to be so confusing ?
What is strange here is that people want to ensure that the laws run parallel to the Catholic faith....
We've had that in Europe before...and we all know the consequences of that.....
The Church has its rules for its members.
Lets respect that.
It is no use for a homo sexual taking offence because his normal way of life is not accepted by the Church!
The Catholic church, like all other religions has to have its rules, no matter how archaic they are.
If we don't like the rules, don't complain about the club!
States, on the other hand have rules for their citizens, and no religion should be allowed to interferewith that, unless we want an Iran like State!
Simple again......or is it?
Robert Sultana
Jan 2nd 2009, 11:53
If the church's catechism states that homosexuality is disorderly as it goes against natural law, what about CELIBACY as practised by most religious orders ! Doesn't this go as well against natural law ? Seems like 2 weights, 2 measures to me !
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 2nd 2009, 11:38
Richard A. Micallef from Ibrag (where's that before it was conjured up?). I'll come clean because I believe honesty is all we have. Not unlike Nature, messy, but it's all we have. So, I could see at a glance that your panygeric was quite wordy. So all I did was read the first sentence as I have better things to do with my time. We have heard it all before. Your God and you, hating the sin but not the sinner. You and your God do not, repeat, do not have to love me or my sin. Do not patronise. It repulses. I, in spite of all the odds, love myself. That is good enough for me. Invest your energies learning to love yourself. You have your odds to struggle with too you know. If you open your eyes that is. And none of this New Year happiness. Happiness (or whatever) is what we generate from within ourselves, with sound judgement. It most certainly is not something you mouth at everyone willy-nilly. Which only succeeds in things never changing. All this sounds arrogant? You bet! Some of us are not spineless, passive twats. Some of us stand up to injustive.
Joe Xuereb (London UK)
Jan 2nd 2009, 11:24
Oh here we go again, starting a new year, with this homosexuality business. I've had it up to here. I am homosexual. I fall in love with men. Figuratively speaking, I have always been here, I am definitely here. And I am here to stay. Be human. Reach out to me and let us dialogue. Your life will be infinitely better for it (and for goodness' sake, remain clothed). But above all else, let me be. If you do not have it in you to be a fully-rounded human, leave me alone and get a life.
William P Flynn
Jan 2nd 2009, 11:24
"the Catholic Church will always remain the strongest moral voice in the world"?
No. Not always.
Examples:
Disallowing divorce but allowing annulments; allowing droves of homosexuals to become priests but treating homosexuals in the general community like god's weeds.
And this pope's gems: "Crimen Sollicitationis"; the stance against decriminalizing homosexuality.
Franco Farrugia
Jan 2nd 2009, 10:38
I, for one, stand up to be counted in disagreeing completely with the letter of Mr Micallef.
Mr Micallef needs to start getting to grips with the fact that in a country such as ours, which is not a Catholic Taliban, the State is not run by the precepts of the Roman Catholic Church.
Furthermore, the people in this country do not all adhere to the precepts and the doctrine of the RCC.
Reading his words, one can immediately realise in what time-warp he is living in, particularly his last paragraph. There are priests and religious who would not agree with him!
In other words, dear Mr Micallef, however much you follow the doctrine of the RCC, not all people follow said doctrine and the State is DUTY BOUND to ensure all legislation incorporates the wishes of ALL people living in this country. And not those of some pseudo-majority which does not exist anyway.
Kurt Mifsud
Jan 2nd 2009, 10:34
"Just as much as married couples are encouraged to enrich their relationship with God and live the virtue of chastity"
Yeah, the same classic argument... in a few words the Church teaches us to go against scientifically proven nature needs. As I always say, nature proves itself right thanks to to church's own representatives!
P Aquilina
Jan 2nd 2009, 10:24
Stretching it a bit, muzzling the Church?
Those who argue against the right for each and every to live a happy and fulfilled life with a partner of their choice is the one who truly muzzles.If God made everyone in his image then he too made me, an individual living my gay life harming no one and contributing to a society, which includes those who would deny me the right to my private happiness. castigates me in this world and the next,taxes me unfairly and denies me many rights given to others less worthy.
Kenneth Cassar
Jan 2nd 2009, 09:26
Decriminalising homosexuality has nothing to do with marriage laws. Decriminalising homosexuality simply means that homosexuality is not to be considered a crime. Who's twisting the truth?
Michelle Wood
Jan 2nd 2009, 09:23
Yeah...right...and pigs fly too don't they?