Homosexual Union? Sunday 3rd August 2003

The past few days has seen a Vatican publication about legalising homosexual union. 
Much media attention has created the impression that homosexuals are condemned as 'evil' etc.  Quite the contrary is true.  Take the following for example - 
".... according to the teaching of the Church, men and women with homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided”. They are called, like other Christians, to live the virtue of chastity. The homosexual inclination is however “objectively disordered” and homosexual practices are “sins gravely contrary to chastity”.
- and then there is a summary of the Vatican document: The last paragraph is as follows:
CONCLUSION
The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behaviour, 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.
If you are remotely interested you should read the whole thing (it's quite short) - at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html 

My own views are recorded on these pages: See  Homophobia?  and  Guardians of the Faith?