Catholic Insight Magazine, a Toronto orthodox apologist magazine for The Roman Catholic Church has been served with a Canadian Human Rights Commission complaint. The complaint has been filed by Rob Wells of The Pride Centre of Edmonton. It appears the magazine has only been served (I could be wrong) and the complaint has not yet reached the investigative stage. It is not on the 2008 schedule, and the investigative phase is not published.
If it passes the investigative stage, mediation and alternative dispute resolution is encouraged to avoid the final tribunal.
C.I. regards all of these charges as unfounded and made with the intent to harass. It intends to defend itself vigorously should the CHRC proceed. The magazine has continually emphasized that, with the respect to homosexual activity, it follows the guidance of the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has made clear that persons with same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity and that every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
At the same time, however, the magazine notes the Catechism declares homosexual acts are ones of grave depravity and intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law, close the sexual act to the gift of life, do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity and cannot be approved under any circumstances.
The magazine, founded in 1993 is run by Father Alphonse de Valk and is funded by Heritage Canada’s Publications Assistance Program. A few blogs have picked up this story(Free Dominion) as well as Lifesite (a Catholic news site) and WorldNet Daily.
According to The Catholic Encyclopedia The Magisterium is the doctrinal and disciplinary arm of the Vatican and has fallible and infallible functions:
Properly speaking, this magisterium is a teaching authority; it not only presents the truth, but it has the right to impose it, since its power is the very power given by God to Christ and by Christ to His Church.
…This magisterium was not instituted to receive new truths, but to guard, transmit, propagate, and preserve revealed truth from every admixture of error, and to cause it to prevail. Moreover the magisterium should not be considered as external to the community of the faithful.
see: Magisterium - wiki
Catholicism follows natural law, the original belief was marriage was for pro-creation. Homosexuality is seen as an abuse of human nature and goes against or interferes with God’s ordained and natural design.
The beliefs have been modified to include unitive function. However since marriage is to produce children; masturbation, premarital sex, post-marital sex, extra-marital sex and all same-sex behaviors are grave mortal sins. Therefore homosexuality is seen as an abuse of human nature and goes against or interferes with God’s ordained and natural design. The Roman Catholic hierarchy beliefs mirror their Protestant fundamentalist brethren. There are six ranges of beliefs regarding GLBT in North America.
I do not know what Catholic Insight magazine wrote. They say they love the sinner and hate the sin. This is a disrespectful platitude for many people who believe spouting it ”seems welcoming, but it is really condemning. Appearing compassionate, it is basically judgmental.” It is a way to hide behind false compassion, letting the speaker off the hook to hide behind their fear and often a lack of knowledge of ‘the other.’
Those who express this sentiment have never stopped to truly listen
The Catholic Insight editor notes his publication “adheres to the teachings of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, which are clear that persons with same-sex attraction must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity and every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”
At the same time, he adds that “in a democratic country respecting freedom of the press and religion, a magazine such as Catholic Insight has the right and responsibility to report on, analyze and comment on the activities of any segment of society that is involved in lobbying and activism on issues of public policy, such as changing the legal definition of marriage, adoption rights, the reallocation of social benefits and other vital questions.”
Dignity Canada is part of a world-wide group of Catholics who work within the church.
Published 6 months, 4 weeks agoWe are informed and faithful Catholics who are urging our church leaders to consider modern scientific and political understandings of sexual orientation and gender equality. We participate in the activities of Call to Action and belong to the Catholic Organizations for Renewal the Coalition of Concerned Canadian Catholics, and we publicly challenge our bishops, and even the Holy Father, whenever these leaders preach hatred and discrimination of gay and lesbian people, or oppose us in our quest for full citizenship.

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Here’s this year’s most obvious rhetorical question:
What if these same actions were directed at the Islamic faith?
What if they were?