Sarah Mitchell
The Catholic Church has strict views on sexuality and sexual morality. The Church teaches that sex is fundamentally for procreation and must occur within a marriage between a man and a woman. Sex outside of marriage, contraception, homosexuality, masturbation, pornography, and adultery are all considered sins by the Church. While some Catholics disagree with these teachings, they remain influential in shaping Catholic attitudes towards sex and sexuality.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sexual fulfilment | Permitted within marriage with one's spouse of the opposite sex |
| Contraception | Prohibited |
| Homosexuality | Considered a sin |
| Pre-marital sex | Considered a grave sin |
| Pornography | Prohibited |
| Abortion | Prohibited |
| Attitudes towards sex | Sexuality has a fundamental purpose, decreed by God: procreation |
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What You'll Learn
Premarital sex
The Catholic Church teaches that sexual love between a man and a woman is reserved for marriage. This teaching is derived from the creation account in Genesis, Book 1, Chapter 1 of Sacred Scripture. In this passage, God creates man and woman in His image and blesses them, saying, "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." The Church interprets this as God's blessing upon the act of sexual love within the context of marriage.
The Church's teaching on premarital sex remains constant despite cultural changes and the passage of time. Catholics who do not accept this teaching are considered to be out of communion with the Church, and they cannot receive Holy Communion until they repent and repair their relationship with God.
Chastity, a virtue promoted by the Church, involves striving for mastery over feelings and passions, respecting the sacredness of marital love, and taking responsibility for one's actions. It is seen as a path to freedom from slavery to passions, sexually transmitted diseases, and mortal sin.
In conclusion, the Catholic Church's stance on premarital sex is clear and unwavering. It considers sexual love to be an expression of the sacred covenant between husband and wife, reflecting their faithful, permanent, exclusive, and self-giving love in union with God. Engaging in sexual activity before marriage is deemed a grave sin that damages one's relationship with God and can lead to negative consequences.
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Contraception
The Catholic Church's position on contraception is that it is not permitted. According to the Church, contraception is "any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible".
The Church's teachings on contraception are derived from Scripture, Natural Law, Apostolic Tradition, the Magisterium, and human experience. The Church believes that marriage is a sacrament with both unitive and procreative ends, and that the fecundity of marriage is vital. This belief is based on the idea that sexuality has a fundamental purpose, decreed by God: procreation.
The use of contraceptives is not a new controversy. Christian leaders were unanimous in speaking out against artificial birth control for almost 2,000 years. Many early Catholic Church Fathers made statements condemning contraception, including John Chrysostom, Jerome, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus of Rome, and Augustine of Hippo.
However, the Catholic Church's stance on contraception has been a source of controversy, with many people, including some Catholics, believing that it is an outdated and oppressive belief that keeps women in the Dark Ages. Additionally, a 2014 Guttmacher survey found that 98% of sexually active American Catholic women have used a form of contraception other than natural family planning.
Despite this, the Church maintains that contraception is wrong because it has a "contralife will", insisting on separating what ought not to be separated (sexuality from possible conception). The Church teaches that a couple can space births and decide to postpone children or have no more children for appropriately serious reasons, such as health, emotional factors, and finances. However, this should be done through natural family planning, where the couple abstains from sexuality during the woman's fertile periods, rather than through artificial means.
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Homosexuality
The Catholic Church has a history of opposing homosexuality and same-sex relationships. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which contains the Church's dogmas and teachings, states that "homosexual acts" are "intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law", and describes "homosexual tendencies" as "objectively disordered". The Church teaches that homosexual acts are "acts of grave depravity" and are "intrinsically disordered", and that they "close the sexual act to the gift of life".
However, the Church does not consider "homosexual orientation" to be sinful in itself, and individuals with homosexual tendencies "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity". The Catechism further states that "homosexual persons are called to chastity" and that "every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided". Pope Francis has also expressed support for civil unions to protect gay couples, stating that the state should give gay couples "safety, stability, inheritance".
There is a range of views among Catholics on homosexuality and same-sex marriage. In the United States, about six in ten Catholics said they support same-sex marriage, while majorities in Canada, Argentina, and the United States said society should be accepting of homosexuality. In Western Europe, large majorities of Catholics in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany support legal same-sex marriage. In contrast, most Catholics in Central and Eastern European countries surveyed opposed same-sex marriage.
There have been instances of protest and disruption by gay rights activists within Catholic churches due to the Church's stance on homosexuality and sex education. Some Catholic parishes have also denied membership to LGBTQ+ individuals and families, and there have been cases of LGBTQ+ employees being dismissed from Catholic schools and parishes following the celebration of a same-sex marriage.
While the Catholic Church has never officially approved of reparative therapy, it has been accused of attempting to 'convert' homosexuals, which has caused psychological harm. However, the Church has stated that individuals with homosexual tendencies should not be discriminated against and should be allowed to participate actively in the Christian community and hold leadership positions if they live chastely.
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Pornography
Catholicism has strict teachings on sexuality, which it believes has a fundamental purpose decreed by God: procreation. The Catholic Church teaches that complete sexual fulfillment must occur within a marriage between a man and a woman, where the couple is open to the possibility of conception.
> Removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties.
The Catechism gives three reasons why pornography is wrong and sinful:
- It offends against the virtue of chastity, which each Christian must respect to uphold the sanctity of their own human sexuality.
- It goes against the holy state of marriage, which is a union between a man and a woman.
- It perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other, and does grave injury to the dignity of its participants, who become objects of base pleasure and illicit profit for others.
Catholics are instructed to avoid pornography and reject any image or thought that may arise accidentally, such as during a movie. If they fail, they are instructed to repent, go to confession, and receive absolution.
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Adultery
The Catholic Church considers sex to be an act that should only be shared between two married people of the opposite sex. This is because sex is believed to have a fundamental purpose decreed by God: procreation.
In the past, adultery was often condemned and punished, especially in societies where the wife was considered the property of her husband. The adulterous wife would often face dire penalties and bodily mutilation by her wronged spouse, who believed that such actions would prevent her from being a temptation to other men.
Today, the Catholic Church still considers adultery to be a grave sin. According to the Sixth Commandment and the New Testament, adultery is forbidden absolutely. The prophets in the Bible denounce the gravity of adultery, seeing it as a sin of idolatry.
It is important to note that the Catholic Church also teaches that lust, or an excessive and irrational attachment to venereal pleasure, is one of the seven capital sins. Its opposing virtue is chastity.
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Frequently asked questions
No, the Catholic Church promotes the idea of waiting until marriage. Premarital sex is considered a grave sin.
No, the Catholic Church is opposed to the use of contraception as it goes against the fundamental purpose of sexuality, which is procreation.
Yes, the Catholic Church teaches that a couple can choose to have sex during the woman's infertile periods if they have sufficiently serious reasons for not wanting to conceive.
