Amid Vatican’s openness toward gays, bishop maintains unchastity wrong

Amid the Vatican's more open attitude toward gays, a Catholic priest in Mindanao maintained impure deeds and thoughts are still sinful, a Mindanao-based bishop reminded the faithful.

Iligan Bishop Elenito Galido said sexual relationships even between a heterosexual male and a heterosexual female are no less immoral, if these are outside marriage.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site quoted Galido as telling Radyo Veritas that anything against chastity and morality constitutes immorality, whether the person doing it is straight or gay.

“That is a fundamental moral law. That’s why we do not immediately judge based on one’s sexual orientation alone,” he said.

Galido also cited Church teachings on same-sex marriage that he said remain unchanged.

He said the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) called homosexual acts “contrary to the natural law” (2357).

“They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved,” the CBCP quoted the CCC as saying.

It also cited CCC 2358 that said “(e)very sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.”

Meanwhile, it said CCC2359 indicates even homosexual persons are called to chastity.

"By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection,” the CBCP said. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News