Michael Brooks
The Catholic Church has had a strained relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, with its stance on bisexuality and homosexuality being particularly contentious. While the Church does not consider homosexual orientation sinful in itself, it has been described as an objective disorder, with homosexual acts deemed intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law. This view has led to bisexual and homosexual Catholics experiencing spiritual agony, with many feeling condemned by the Church. However, there are also bisexual and homosexual Catholics who remain loyal to the Church, finding solace in the work of priests like Fr. James Martin, who aims to build a bridge between the Church and its LGBTQ+ members. The Church has also made efforts to include the LGBTQ+ community, with Pope Francis supporting civil union status for same-sex couples. Despite these efforts, the Church's official stance remains unchanged, and it continues to face criticism for its stance on bisexuality and homosexuality.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholic Church's stance on bisexuality | Homosexual acts are "intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law" and homosexual tendencies are "objectively disordered" |
| Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality | Homosexual orientation is not a sin, but it is a tendency towards "moral evil" and is therefore considered "an objective disorder" |
| Catholic Church's stance on same-sex marriage | The Church does not recognize same-sex marriages or gay civil unions as sacramental marriages |
| Catholic Church's stance on transgender individuals | Transgender individuals are barred from serving as baptismal sponsors |
| Catholic Church's stance on LGBTQ+ rights | The Church is politically active on LGBTQ+ rights issues and has a strained relationship with the LGBTQ+ community |
| Number of bisexual/gay Catholics | N/A |
| Number of bisexual/gay priests | Estimated to be between 23-58% |
| Catholic Church's stance on bisexual/gay individuals' participation in the community | Bisexual/gay Catholics are always welcome in the Catholic faith community and are entitled to participate fully in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic faith |
| Catholic Church's stance on chastity | Homosexual Catholics are called to a life of chastity, limiting sexual relations to men and women in a sacramental marriage |
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What You'll Learn
The Catholic Church's stance on bisexuality
In 1997, the US Catholic Bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family Life published a letter entitled "Always Our Children", reiterating the Church's opposition to homosexuality while urging parents of gay and bisexual children not to break off contact, instead seeking appropriate counseling. The letter also stated that gay and lesbian Catholics are always welcome in the Catholic faith community and are entitled to participate fully in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic faith community.
In October 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a letter to all the bishops of the Catholic Church, providing instructions on how to deal with and respond to lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. The letter affirmed the position that homosexual orientation is not a sin but a tendency towards "moral evil", and thus an "objective disorder".
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which contains the Church's dogmas and teachings, reflects this view, naming "homosexual acts" as "intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law" and "homosexual tendencies" as "objectively disordered". It further states that "homosexual persons are called to chastity".
In 2005, a Vatican document approved by Pope Benedict XVI instructed that the Church cannot admit those who practice homosexuality, exhibit deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the "gay culture" into the seminary or holy orders. This document reflected a shift from the 1960s, when chaste gay men were allowed to enter the priesthood.
The Catholic Church does not recognize same-sex marriages as sacramental marriages, and it has denied public roles of service and leadership to individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, whose public behavior openly violates its teachings. However, in December 2023, the Church allowed Catholic priests to bless people in relationships not considered marriages by the Church, including same-sex couples.
While the Church has taken a negative stance on homosexual acts, it emphasizes that homosexual persons must be treated with respect, compassion, and sensitivity, avoiding any unjust discrimination. Some Catholic organizations and institutions have campaigned against LGBTQ rights, promoting chastity and celibacy among LGBT Catholics, while others, including priests like Fr. James Martin, have actively worked to build bridges and open dialogue between the Church and its LGBTQ+ members.
The Church's stance on bisexuality, while not directly addressed in many sources, can be inferred from its position on homosexuality, with bisexual Catholics facing similar challenges and uncertainties in navigating their relationship with the Church.
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Homosexuality and the Catholic Church's teachings
The relationship between the Catholic Church and homosexuality is complex and often contentious. The Church's teachings on the issue have evolved over time, influenced by papal interventions and theologians, including the early Church Fathers.
According to Catholic doctrine, having same-sex attractions is not considered inherently sinful. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text containing the Church's dogmas and teachings, states that "homosexual persons are called to chastity" and must be "accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity". It further emphasizes that all forms of unjust discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals should be avoided. However, the Church considers homosexual acts, or sexual acts between persons of the same sex, as ""acts of grave depravity" and ""intrinsically disordered", contrary to the natural law, and a ""grave sin against chastity". The Bible is pointed to as the basis for these teachings, with several passages, including Genesis 19:1-11, Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, I Corinthians 6:9, Romans 1:18-32, and I Timothy 1:10, interpreted as condemning homosexual activity.
The Church's stance on homosexuality has been a source of conflict and distress for LGBTQ+ Catholics, with some Catholic organizations campaigning against LGBTQ+ rights worldwide. The Church does not recognize or perform sacramental marriages between same-sex couples, although its position on blessings for gay couples has evolved. In December 2023, the Church allowed priests to bless people in same-sex relationships, provided it did not misrepresent the Catholic view of marriage.
While the Church officially upholds these teachings, there are conflicting views within the Catholic community. Some notable LGBTQ+ Catholics, including priests and bishops, have been openly gay or bisexual. Pope Francis, for example, took a notably different approach from his predecessors, supporting civil unions for same-sex individuals. Additionally, some men's religious orders and bishops make their own decisions regarding the acceptance of gay men into the priesthood.
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Notable LGBTQ+ Catholics
There have been several notable LGBTQ+ Catholics throughout history, including artists, writers, monarchs, politicians, and clergy members.
Artists
Several influential Italian Catholic artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods were considered to be homosexual or bisexual. These include Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti, who painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Andy Warhol was an American artist and a leading figure in the pop art movement. His homosexuality strongly influenced his work, and he regularly attended Catholic mass and volunteered at homeless shelters in New York to practice his faith. Robert Mapplethorpe was a gay American photographer and the lover of gay writer and Drummer magazine editor Jack Fritscher. Mapplethorpe created art suffused with Catholicism, particularly in the areas of Catholic guilt and eroticism.
Writers
Notable gay writers who were influenced by Catholicism include Oscar Wilde, Lord Alfred Douglas, Marc-André Raffalovich, and Frederick Rolfe.
Monarchs
Queen Christina of Sweden (1626-1689) is believed by modern biographers to have been a lesbian. She abdicated the throne in 1654 and later converted to Catholicism. She is one of only six women to be buried in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1845-1886) was a devout Catholic who struggled with his homosexual desires, as documented in his diary and private letters.
Politicians
Daniel Kawczynski, a Polish-born British Member of Parliament, is a practising Catholic who came out in 2013 and is in a same-sex civil partnership. Jens Spahn, a former German Federal Minister of Health, is a self-described Roman Catholic who lives with his husband, journalist Daniel Funke, in Berlin. Pim Fortuyn was a gay Dutch politician and civil servant who identified as Catholic. Stefan Kaufmann is a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Klaus Wowereit, the former mayor of Berlin, is also gay and Catholic.
Clergy Members
Pope Francis is known for his inclusive stance towards the LGBTQ+ community, becoming the first pope to support civil unions for same-sex couples. He has met with LGBTQ+ Catholic groups and extended blessings to individuals in same-sex unions. However, he has not changed official church doctrine, which still considers homosexual acts as "intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law." Some LGBTQ+ rights activists within the Catholic Church include priests and bishops, such as McNeill and Virginia Apuzzo, as well as organisations like New Ways Ministry and DignityUSA, which work for inclusion and justice for LGBTQ+ Catholics.
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The Church's influence on LGBTQ+ rights
The Catholic Church, with approximately 1.2 billion members worldwide, is the largest Christian denomination in the world. The Church's teachings and stances on LGBTQ+ rights have had a significant influence on the community's rights and acceptance globally.
Historically, the Church has had a strained relationship with the LGBTQ+ community, particularly during critical moments such as the height of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, due to its opposition to condoms. The Church's teachings have been interpreted as condemning homosexuality and considering it a "moral evil" and an "objective disorder". In 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released a letter instructing the clergy on how to deal with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. While the letter stated that homosexual orientation is not a sin, it described homosexual activity as a tendency towards moral evil, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church names "homosexual acts" as "intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law".
However, there have been some positive shifts in the Church's stance. Beginning in the 1970s, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) taught that gay people should have an active role in the Christian community and called on Christians to confront their fears about homosexuality and curb discrimination. The Vatican's policies state that those with "homosexual tendencies" must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity, and the Church has not approved of reparative therapy. In 2023, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published Fiducia supplicans, allowing Catholic priests to bless people in same-sex relationships, signalling a move towards openness and inclusion.
Despite these shifts, the Church still does not celebrate or recognize same-sex marriages, and some Catholic organizations actively campaign against LGBTQ+ rights, advocating for chastity and celibacy among LGBTQ+ Catholics. The actual experience of LGBTQ+ parishioners can vary across dioceses and parishes, with some communities offering a full welcome within the limits of Church policy, while others deny membership to LGBTQ+ individuals and families.
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Bisexual Catholics' experiences
The Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality has been strained over the years, with the Catechism of the Catholic Church naming "homosexual acts" as "intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law" and naming "homosexual tendencies" as "objectively disordered". However, the Church does not consider "homosexual orientation" to be sinful in itself. The Church has not supported same-sex marriage, and in 2021, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stated that the Church cannot bless same-sex relationships because "God cannot bless sin".
Despite the Catholic Church's stance, some notable LGBT Catholics, including priests and bishops, have been openly gay or bisexual. In the 1970s, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops taught that gay people "should have an active role in the Christian community" and called on Christians to "confront their own fears about homosexuality". In 1997, they published a letter entitled "Always Our Children", a pastoral message to parents of gay and bisexual children, reiterating the Church's opposition to homosexuality but telling parents not to break off contact with their gay or bisexual children.
The experiences of bisexual Catholics vary. Some bisexual Catholics have felt a sense of conflict between their religious and sexual identities, with some resolving this conflict by leaving the Church, while others have found acceptance from other Catholics, distinguished between the Church and God, met other LGBT Christians, and developed a personal relationship with God. Some bisexual Catholics have turned to interfaith, multicultural approaches to LGBTQ ministries in UU spaces, feeling welcomed there due to their bisexuality while feeling distanced by their Catholicism.
Some bisexual Catholics have found comfort and strength in the writings of Catholic writers actively "queering the Church" and in histories of the Church that uncover traditions of same-sex attractions and relationships being honoured within it. However, these are outliers in Catholic discourse and not the official doctrine. One such bisexual Catholic, Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew, wrote a memoir, "Reveals the Holiness of Bisexuality", in which she shares her journey of coming out and finding harmony between her bisexuality and her spirituality.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, bisexual Catholics can participate in the Catholic faith community. In 1997, the US Catholic Bishops' Committee on Marriage and Family Life published a letter entitled "Always Our Children", which told parents not to break off contact with a bisexual child. It also encouraged bisexual Catholics to participate as fully as possible in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic faith community.
The Catholic Church does not consider bisexual orientation sinful in and of itself. However, it does have a negative attitude towards it, considering bisexual acts ""intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law".
No, the Catholic Church does not celebrate or recognize same-sex marriages. It also does not permit same-sex couples to receive blessings as it considers it a sin.
