Archbishop Allen H Vignerons statement regarding NCR interview with Bishop Emeritus Gumbleton

In response to recent interview comments from Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Thomas Gumbleton, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron offers the following statement to clarify the demands the Gospel makes about the path to salvation for people that experience same sex attraction.

Bishop Gumbleton has offered his private opinions on this topic, which are not a reliable guide to the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church. In her teaching, the Church presents the mind of Christ himself. It is this light that must guide how we live as God’s daughters and sons. The authentic doctrine about the topic of Bishop Gumbleton’s interview is found clearly expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

“Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.’ They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved” (n. 2357).

Importantly, men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (2358).

When done culpably these disordered acts are sinful and rupture one’s relationship with God. Separation from God is the worst of all evils that can befall any man or woman. The Church and her pastors are committed to accompanying all those tempted with same sex attraction on their journey toward living chastely according to the challenge of faithful Christian discipleship.