Homosexuality - Rome and the Episcopal Church
by Peter Toon

Even though there are vocal "gay" priests both in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal Churches, the official teaching of the two churches concerning homosexuality & the priesthood is vastly different. In fact, it seems hard at times to believe that they are reading the same Bible, living in the same world and considering the same natural law.

For the Roman Church, the revealed Word of God, sacred tradition and natural law all combine to teach that genital sexual acts between two persons of the same sex are always wrong and are always a sin against God under any conditions. Strong inclinations and desires to perform such acts represent a grave disorder in the affections of a person, for a mature person's affections in sexual attraction are naturally ordered towards the opposite sex.

In the case of the priest his affections are ordered by grace towards the congregation of Christ's flock, which is the Bride of Christ, and he is a spiritual father to the flock. This means that a man who is active as an homosexual or even a man who is not mature in his affections (though he is celibate) should not to be ordained to the priesthood.

For the Episcopal Church, the Bible and modern experience [ = active human experience of homosexual acts in the context of the judgments of scientists, doctors, state legislators etc.] combine to teach that genital, sexual acts between two persons of the same sex are normally wrong and always sinful; however, when the two persons are bound in same-sex affection and in a covenanted partnership based on faithfulness to one another, then they can be holy and blessed of God.

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