Studia Paradyskie

The Fourth Commission of the “Synodal Path” in the Catholic Church in Germany, whose main focus is the topic of “Living love in Sexuality and Partnership”, submitted a document on a new doctrinal assessment of the phenomenon of homosexuality to the plenary assembly for adoption. The adopted text, expressing a number of postulates for the currently binding doctrinal valorisation of homosexual inclinations and acts, is based on the results of research in the humanities and social sciences and on the results of an extensive report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Germany after World War II until the present day, prepared by a consortium of three research centres: (M)annheim-(H)eidelberg-(G)ießen. Based on these sources, according to the members of the “Synodal Path”, it is necessary to revise the current evaluation carried out, among others, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The main motive of this revision is the thesis that every human being should integrate his / her sexuality with his own lifestyle and way of life. Sexuality, expressed through physical acts, is to take into account respect for human dignity, the right to self-determination, love, fidelity and responsibility, and – in a specific dimension – fertility. Therefore, the mandatories of the “Synodal Path” believe that all these features are implemented in homosexual sexual acts. Thus, love without fertility realised in them has its own value and is not a sin, and homosexual acts should not be treated as “intrinsece malum”. Opponents of such a revision of the assessment of homosexuality point to the integrity and purity of the sexual act in marriage and its impact on the development of the family.