By DONALD DeMARCO
Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions has, and rightly so, caused a firestorm of protest. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he endorsed civil unions for homosexual couples, but his recent endorsement is the first ever made by a Pope of the Catholic Church. As is often the case, his remarks during an interview on October 21 midway through a feature-length documentary entitled Francesco, were off-the-cuff. One might very well say, “Irresponsible.” [Editor’s Note: See this week’s Catholic Replies, p. 5B, for more details on this. The documentary includes statements Pope Francis made on different occasions.]
“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family,” he remarked. “They are children of God.” And: “You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
Being “children of God” has never been an issue. Nor is it widely accepted that anyone should “kick someone out of a family.” It should also be pointed out that having “a right to be in a family” is problematic. As Pope St. John Paul II has stated, “The basis of the family is marriage.” Those who are already in a family, including the unborn child, have a right to remain in the family. But no one has a right to a family. If that were not the case, someone would assume the duty of providing that family. And no one has that duty. One might become a member of a House of Friendship, for example, but that organization is not exactly a family, or what the Pope means by a family.
By the same token, no one has a right to marriage. The right to marry is conditional, requiring the consent of another. It is also restricted by a number of additional factors, including age, marital status, and so on.
What ignited the firestorm, however, is the endorsement, and we might even say, given his influence and authority, the promotion of same-sex unions. Pope Francis indulges in broad platitudes that have no down-to-earth, concrete meaning. He is not doing homosexuals any favor by endorsing their unions.
St. John Paul, author of The Theology of the Body, understands the real and substantial basis for marriage: “Man and woman were created as they were (according to the Book of Genesis), different in body and sex, so that through this difference they would be able to make a gift to one another of the specific richness of their respective humanity.”
The function of the immune system corroborates this view of the former Pontiff. The human body contains 100 billion immunological receptors that operate as an organized defense system. These receptors distinguish the self from the non-self and repel anything that it recognizes as the non-self. Their function is to protect the self from alien substances that are potentially harmful to it. No matter what the shape or form the enemy invader manifests, there will be some correlative receptor that can recognize it and effect its elimination. This, one might say, is truly a wonder of God’s creation.
From a strict immunological standpoint, conception would not be possible, for the immune system would recognize the sperm as an alien substance. However, semen carries, along with the sperm, a mild immuno-suppressant, which, deposited in the right place, allows the woman’s body to accept it and also permits the resulting child to develop. Here we have a deeper understanding of the meaning of “two-in-one-flesh.” Marriage is not grounded in abstract rights, but in the embodied nature of the marital partners.
Something dangerous occurs when the immuno-suppressant is deposited in the wrong place (and I hope I am not being too vague here). The immuno-suppressant carries out its natural function and suppresses the immune system. But in doing this, it creates what scientists refer to as an “immuno-permissive environment,” facilitating the formation of various kinds of pathogens, the most notable of which brings about a condition known as AIDS. Therefore, the endorsement of same-sex unions may lead to many deaths and certainly does not represent a caring attitude toward homosexuals.
St. John Paul II writes about the notion of gift as the key to the marital union: “The mutual bestowal of themselves, the category of gift, was inscribed in the human existence of man and woman from the very beginning.” Homosexual sex does not offer this gift. In fact, it offers a definable danger. Avoiding same-sex unions, of course, does not condemn homosexual persons to lives of misery, as Pope Francis suggests. There are other, and legitimate, options open to them. They should be encouraged to avail themselves of such options.
Pope Francis addresses his recent social encyclical to Tutti Fratelli (all brothers), but his advice offered in his interview suits no one. By endorsing same-sex unions he is demeaning the very nature of marriage. His address actually contradicts the mind and heart of the Poverello of Assisi.
Rights and duties go together. When a person abdicates his duty to think carefully and clearly, he may take multiple rights and toss them in the wind as if they were confetti. People may applaud him for doing this, for he appears to be generous. But a careful analysis reveals that he is passing out counterfeit money while stealing real money from those who have a real right to possess it. A bogus notion of marriage inevitably depreciates its legitimate counterpart.
Scott Hahn advises us to pray harder than we have ever prayed before. This, surely, is sensible advice, especially in this time of crisis. At the same time, we cannot be delinquent about reasonable criticism, even if it is directed at the Pope. Such criticism is a clear indication that Catholics do have minds of their own and are not intellectually subservient to the Vatican.
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