Same-sex union and the Church

With no pretensions whatsoever of being versed in legal, moral and this same-sex union issue, I must confess that I never expected Fr Patrick Pullicino to be lambasted by such a tsunami of criticism and comments on same-sex civil unions.

I feel that he knows his ropes both professionally and religiously. Perhaps people do not know that he has already suffered for his religious and moral convictions even in the democratic UK.

Perhaps he missed the fact that the pope did not change any teaching the Church has always held as sacred and immutable. He was just explaining that, just as the lion has his den and the bird has his nest, so should such people have a legal standing, keeping in mind that such unions are now a fait accompli and the bedrock in many countries, brushing aside the Church’s opposition and what the laws of nature dictate.

The pope himself, when still a cardinal, took to the streets in protest when the Argentinian government was going to legislate on this matter.

Incidentally, I had written in June 2013 that the legitimate rights of those who enter same-sex unions are theirs, and they are entitled to them, but any form of ‘marriage’ would only be a parody of what is purely natural, does not make sense and goes straight against the laws of God and nature.

I had also congratulated gay couples for the attainment of equal respect, dignity, legal recognition and justice which, however, could have been obtained in another way. They should enjoy the same rights as any other citizen.

At that time, Pope Francis also said that the Church would collapse if Catholics focused on gay marriage. There won’t be a sea-change in policy that critics hope for.

It is rational to argue that, once the Pope and Fr Pullicino excluded that gay union can ever take the place of marriage, held that the adoption of children can be detrimental to them in the future and affirmed that homosexual acts are unnatural, all other arguments can be valid, reflected upon and engaged in through a thorough debate.

I beg to differ from what Clayton Mercieca wrote, that, by the power vested in them through the Church, members of the clergy enjoy the privilege to persecute minorities: women, those of other faiths, LGBTIQ people and scientific communities (October 30).

Nobody can deny that such barbaric incidents did not sporadically happen but such frightening and bloody chapters in Church history are, in fact, fiction and were never approved as official policy of the Church.

It is high time to abandon the mindlessly repeated mantra that religious belief has been the main source of human violence. All this well-established anti-Catholic myth is not a blot on the history of the Catholic Church and these falsehoods need to be purged from the historical record.

As regards the editorial ‘The Pope, gay people and extremists’ (October 28), while I am sure that the editor had no intention of painting the Church in a negative light as evinced in a later leader ‘Bishop Grech and the Pope’s vision’ (November 3) – an excellent treatise – the admission of such errors has long been done.

In fact, before the year 2016, a rough idea of all the ‘mea culpas’ of the last three popes amount to a staggering total of 32, excluding others made after that date. A truly humble and meek Church like Her Master.

John Azzopardi – Żabbar

Throwing caution to the wind

It beggars belief that, in the midst of a surging COVID-19 onslaught all over the place, including here, the usual suspects are at it again.

Not content with last July’s banana skin, we now have Christmas in the City to have another stab at it! I notice how the timing was just after we were told that a vaccine is practically minutes away… Enough for everyone (even the influenza vaccine ran out).

Listening to reputable medical sources via ABC Radio National’s daily Corona Cast podcasts, RAI Radio 3 Scienza and the like, there is a lot to be cautious about regarding the vaccines. It seems that all three front runners (Pfizer, Moderna and Astra Zeneca) work by preventing disease but not infection (as with, for example,  polio and measles, whereby you can squash the infection). In other words, it will stop you getting full-blown symptoms (hopefully) but not getting infected and,  hence, spreading the virus around. So much for ‘herd immunity’.

There is much more knowledge than this to be gleaned. I am not qualified to go there – just invite interested readers to inform themselves if they’re interested, from scientific experts overseas who are. Also, these vaccines need to be kept at minus 70 degrees centigrade at all times. This is a mind-boggling logistical challenge.

In short, we all pray for a good vaccine and we cannot wait to see the back of this virus. But the responsible thing to do is to invite caution and not cavalier letting one’s hair down, any time soon, surely.

Then, again, why worry about Christmas in the City when the hordes are baying for Black Friday before that?!

Anna Micallef – Sliema

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