MY NIGHT AT PIERLUIGI ROME AS A GUEST OF A SENIOR ROMAN CLERIC.

If you look hard the maniple is still there.

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Hasn’t Church teaching on homosexuality changed? An interesting follow-up to a reader’s question about changes in doctrine.
In response to yesterday’s Blog-piece a reader posed the very interesting question, as follows:
As always very helpful. But also, as always, questions are raised by something as thoughtful as this. Mine is whether there are any examples of something which the Church would have regarded as a sin in the past, but not today? And I suppose this would be linked to the issue of the Development of Doctrine. For example, would a Catholic in the 19th century have been told by the Church that a homosexual inclination was by definition sinful? Today, this is not the position of the Church, but was it once? I’m sure there are other examples. Is this a change of mind or a development? I would have thought it was possible to argue that, over time, the Church’s understanding of what constitutes a temptation to sin has changed, and that Catholics in the past who would have been encouraged to feel ‘guilt’ are not so encouraged today. And that’s not just an issue of ‘liberalism’ or laxity in morals, but because scientific and psychological understanding has increased. But maybe there is no change from the early Church. I have always wondered whether Matthew 23: 1-12 is not a warning to us today as much as in the past: “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them.”
May I first of all say ‘thank you’ for an incisive question, and one which cuts to the heart of the issue.
The answer will be found in drawing a clear distinction between the ‘official teaching’ of the Church – that which is found in definitive teachings in documents of the Magisterium, and what we may call ‘common teaching’ – which is the attempt by fallible ministers and lay Catholics to communicate the official teaching of the Church in all sorts of ways; homilies, books, catechism classes, courses etc. etc. etc.
Among those things which are definitively taught ‘officially’ by the Church, there have been no changes; and this includes in the moral teaching of the Church, which is grounded directly in the revelation to the Jewish people in the Old Testament (especially the 10 Commandments), and perfected through the teaching of Our Lord. Thus, the Church’s teaching on homosexuality can be shown to be well established among the pre-Christian Jews, who were noteworthy in the ancient world for not engaging in same-sex relationships, which were common in Graeco-Roman society. This was likewise received and affirmed by the early Christian community, most notably by St. Paul – but importantly, there is no evidence of it being questioned or debated by the Fathers of the Church, most of whom were not from a Jewish cultural background.
Thus, where a teaching, either of the Faith or of morality, has been taught definitively and consistently throughout Christian history, it must be understood to flow from Divine Revelation – and therefore, cannot be changed because it cannot be incorrect. We may grow or deepen in our understanding or appreciation of it, but we can never, authentically, come to the conclusion that God was mistaken. God doesn’t make mistakes.
People, however, do make mistakes. And people can look at things through the prism of their own experience, which is where ‘common teaching’ comes in. In their attempts to make God’s teaching accessible to others, priests (Popes & Bishops?), parents, teachers, Christians are inclined to simplify, analogise and embellish that teaching using their own personal, historical and cultural references. In this way a certain amount of teaching can become loaded with personal, historical, societal and cultural prejudices.
The Church has never officially taught that homosexual feelings are wrong. She has consistently taught that homosexual activity is wrong. However, in their zeal to communicate and live that teachings, at many points in history there have been cultural taboos and personal prejudices surrounding people with homosexual tendencies. Priests, religious teachers and ordinary Christians were not immune from this, and therefore, it would not be surprising if some of this showed up in their attempt to communicate what the Church teaches.
Hopefully, today, a Christian struggling with a homosexual orientation would find a more compassionate pastoral response than might have been the case a century ago. In many ways this will be the fruit of the growth in human knowledge – remember psychology as a science is very new. The Church always celebrates growth in authentic human knowledge, and we must also remember that the Church is a sure guarantee of theological revelation only; everything else is outside her expertise. But, because Christ needed us to know Him and His teaching without error, we can be sure that when the official Church teaches definitively on Faith and Divine Law, which is Her field of competence, She knows about that which She speaks!
https://lonelycurate.blogspot.com/2020/04/help-im-dissenting-catholic_28.html

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Except boring stalker alert

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It’s great to see the OPs, Cong Orats, FSSP etc thriving. That’s the future.

Blackfriars Oxford nowadays is a marked improvement on the old Blackfriars of that nasty old soak McCabe. Didn’t the drink get him the end, when he fell down the stairs mad drunk?

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But hasn’t the hasty departure from the Oxford Oratory now miraculously reappeared in York ? Miracolo veramente ! Or has he disappeared again ? Oh, if only we could go back to the days of Father Gregory Winterton, men of breeding, and independent means. You knew where you stood. This new lot ? Well, parvenues if you ask me. Lower middle class types that aspire to be Victorian gentle-clergy. It doesn’t wash….

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6.05 good to see they are using the correct liturgical vessels!

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