On Monday, Jun 14, 2021, Mexican priest Mario Arroyo Martinez shared with Exaudi’s readers his article in “Theology for Millennials” entitled “Pride Month,” on the news of so-called “Gay Pride Month, and the phenomenon of a false fight between the Church and homosexuals.
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As every year, June has arrived, called for some time now “Gay Pride Month.” It’s good to analyze how those of us who aren’t gay live it; we have nothing in favor or against their cause. I stress this last idea because recently, in a University class on Theological Anthropology, a student asked me: “Why are gays and the Church fighting? I had to explain to him how his perception was mistaken, but that I understood him, as the media is fomenting that antagonistic view.
Aren’t they fighting? No, because the Church is Mother and accepts all people, regardless of their sexual preferences. She encourages us to see a brother in our neighbor, regardless of his political or cultural positions. This is the message Pope Francis transmitted in his Encyclical Fratelli Tutti. Obviously, people with a homosexual inclination are included in that Tutti: [“All”], just as transgender, transvestite and any other new genders are, which are arising.
It’s necessary to distinguish between a homosexual person and the LGTBQ+lobby, namely, the activists, who aren’t necessarily homosexuals. Let’s say that, for the examples of mockery of the religious, which they express with a certain frequency in their protests, they are the ones that consider themselves antagonists of the Church in particular and of Christianity in general.
Perhaps it’s due to expressions of rejection of homosexuality present in the Bible or, simply, because in the Catechism of the Church, although it talks of respect for homosexual persons, it also says that homosexual acts are sinful, endeavoring to distinguish clearly between the person — who is not to be judged — and the concrete act.
However, the foregoing isn’t discriminatory. In reality, for Catholic Doctrine, any act is bad that breaks the unitive, procreative end of the conjugal act. That is, the “prohibition” doesn’t affect them exclusively, but also all those who use contraceptive methods.
And it’s about simply pointing out that ‘such an act is not in agreement with Jesus’ doctrine,” but it isn’t a global judgment on the person. In fact, there are wonderful people that don’t live this aspect or, in other words, of the ten Commandments they live eight. However, not because of this do they feel stigmatized or outside communion with the Church, because they are not.
The Church isn’t made up of saints — she will be so at the end of time –, but of sinners. That’s why Saint Augustine affirms: “The Lord came to cure the sick, and He found us all sick, so to believe oneself to be healthy is the worst sickness.”
For the profane, the subject of “pride month” doesn’t cease to call attention, because of the fact that a certain sexual behavior is expressed with “pride” and the fact that it is an occasion for so much ovation and reverence on the part of society, is somewhat strange and suspicious.
I suppose it’s a way of doing reparation for the unjust vexations that people with this inclination have suffered for centuries, and which must not be repeated. However, lack of respect or of charity, in general, are equally bad if directed against homosexual persons or against women, people of color, Jews, the obese, etc., except that the latter were unable to make enough noise to have their “pride month.”
For my part, I think it’s excellent that they have their pride month if it is that they need it. People must be given what is necessary to have a healthy self-esteem, and if homosexual persons need their month – Congratulations! I am the first to support it.
However, I have the suspicion that a good number of gays don’t like to be the center of attention and would sincerely prefer to be left in peace, to be unnoticed, to be simply one more, not demand any special recognition because of the way they live sex, as it is their personal and intimate decision, not a public matter.
Perhaps it might b appropriate to create an Association made up exclusively of homosexual people, and that they decide freely and democratically what they prefer. While that happens, we, the profane, observe astonished how certain persons need to be recognized by the way they live their sexuality.
Translation by Virginia M. Forrester
