Homosexuality

Resources:

"Homosexuality and Hope"-a Statement of the Catholic Medical Association

Homosexuality

The Church upholds the dignity and sanctity of all human life and seeks to promote an authentic vision of the human person. All human beings have been created in the image and likeness of God and the Church seeks to emphasize and draw out that image from each of us. Throughout our lives, we experience different things that tarnish or distort that image of God within us. We may have low self-esteem and think that we could never reflect God’s image; we may have an addiction that keeps us from living fully in the image of God; we may be attracted to others of the same sex and not sure how the image of God inside us is to be shown to others.

We in the Diocese of Phoenix strive to help all the faithful image God in the world as fully as they can. For the person with same-sex attraction, this task can be difficult and at times seem nearly impossible. Courage is a group that strives to help those with same-sex attraction live lives in accord with the teachings of the Church that show forth to the world what it means to be a human person.

The National Movement is based in New York City where it was founded in the early 1980s. The group has had great success in helping those with same-sex attractions find a place in the Church they thought was so hostile toward them.

There are other resources available on the Catholic Education website. See specifically the report of the Catholic Medical Association, “Homosexuality and Hope.”

Books you might find useful:

Groeschel, Benedict. The Courage to Be Chaste. New York: Paulist Press, 1985.

Harvey, John. The Truth About Homosexuality. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1996.