06 May 2013

Reflections: All Are Welcome!

Today I will reflect on an article by Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York. In his article, Cardinal Dolan talks to us about the classic saying of "hate the sin, love the sinner." After reading the article, I would just like to elaborate on a few of his points.

First, Cardinal Dolan talks about the prominent issue in today's society known as abortion. He states "the Church loves, welcomes, and respects a woman who has had an abortion, and the man who fathered the child and encouraged the abortion...but would be united with them in mourning and regretting that deadly choice." In other words, the Church has a solid stance on its role in defending life and most importantly, creation. However, just because abortion is a mortal sin does not mean that anyone associated with the process is excommunicated from the Church. Rather, the fact that they have sinned greatly increases the need for the Church, her comfort, and her support.

Second, Cardinal Dolan also talks about the the Church's stance on homosexuality, stating "The Church loves, welcomes, and respects a woman or man with a same-sex attraction...while reminding him or her of our clear teaching that, while the condition of homosexuality is no sin at all, still, God's teaching is clear that sexual acts are reserved for a man and woman united in the lifelong, life-giving, faithful, loving bond of marriage." One of the main causes of dispute is the misunderstanding of the Catholic Church's stance on homosexuality. Homosexuals are in fact welcome in the Catholic Church. The Church respects them and sees them as people, just like heterosexuals. However, the Church hates the act of sexual intercourse between a same-sex couple. This goes back to the Church's role in defending life and creation, and since same-sex couples are not capable of yielding life, the Church cannot condone such an act.

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