Theological note: Making doctrine

...Commonweal 7 September 22, 2000...

...The Reverend Paul Surlis is associate professor of moral theology But there is more to the story...

...But does the document have of principles, homosexuality is intrinsically immoral...

...Visser quibbled a little with how O'Riordan had quoted him In 1977, at a workshop on human sexuality conducted at but went on to affirm that as a matter of sound pastoral Saint John's University, Fuchs acknowledged that he was practice, he would allow a stable relationship between two part of the original team of writers...

...Furthermore, this position of absolute condemnation personalist tradition whose starting point is the human per- is the one most commonly thought to represent the Vatican's son, personal relationships, and, importantly, the human re- position on Catholic teaching regarding homosexual persons...

...It is unacceptable that In this book the cardinal follows the old methodology- teaching documents formulated by a few curial officials and principles are stated, and conclusions are drawn more or their theologians should be used to justify punitive treatment less independently of human persons and the complexities of theologians and pastoral practitioners like Gramick and of human existence...

...There were also theologians from the stances...

...these theologians included Sean O'Ri- Indeed, some readers were so concerned at the pastoral ordan, C.SS.R., professor of moral theology at the Alphon- position attributed to Visser that they wrote to him, asking sianum, and Joseph Fuchs, S.J., professor of moral theology if O'Riordan had described his views correctly...

...Here, pastoral theology ducing moral conclusions from abstract principles...

...Catholic teaching on homosexuality when, in fact, it is the In O'Riordan's article, he pointed out that the document view of one school of Roman theologians, and, in particular, of "reproduces in large part a chapter in a book recently pub- one cardinal who would foist his personal views on the unilished by Cardinal Palazzini on Christian life and virtues...

...Needsor of theology at the Lateran...

...other personalist theologians withdrew (O'Riordan says In any case, the Vatican has never revoked his interpretation they were dropped) because of insurmountable disagree- of leniency in pastoral practice for homosexuals in a stable rements with the more conservative theologians who then lationship, and it stands as a quasi-official interpretation of a produced the document on their own...

...According to some Roman newspa- Nugent...

...In light of its content, some theologians, and ations where the principles of moral theology could be apmost recently Father Robert Nugent and Sister Jeannine plied leniently out of compassion and sensitivity to personGramick of New Ways Ministry, are judged to be in error in al needs...

...0 that, strictly speaking, it was the document that was in his book, and not vice versa...

...There were theologians from the more conserv- adds that Visser justifies this morally permissible option by ative manualist tradition who approach moral questions by de- an appeal to the lesser of two evils...

...He also confirmed curial declaration by one of its official authors...

...lationship with God...

...In response, at the Gregorian...

...He told us that after a few homosexuals to be maintained on the basis of the principle weeks of attempted collaboration on the declaration, he and of the lesser of two evils...

...Still, it continues to be homosexual that they will be in serious personal and perhaps cited by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as if social trouble unless they attain a steady partnership, withit were securely in place as an indisputable part of official in their homosexual lives, one can recommend them to seek Catholic teaching on homosexuality...

...But it is also the fault of overly timid bishops and repers, when questioned about this, the cardinal said that ligious superiors if they fail to call the Vatican's behavior what when writing his book, he had the document in mind, so it is-a scandalous abuse of power...

...These facts the assertions by O'Riordan in a 1976 Clergy Review article lead me to conclude that we should challenge the position about the declaration concerning the writing of the docu- that the declaration Persona humana is an integral part of ment, its content, and its methodology...

...and Ermenegildo Lio, a ciple to a condemnation, regardless of the particular circumFranciscan theologian...

...In his own Making doctrine The 1975 declaration "Certain Ques- work, Visser distinguishes between a moral theology that tions Concerning Sexual Ethics" (Persona humana) is among embodies absolute, inflexible principles, and a pastoral thethe documents that are seen to constitute Catholic teaching on ology that concerns itself with persons and individual situhomosexuality...

...Jan Visser, C.SS.R., professor of less to say, some moralists would go from the absolute prinmoral theology at Propaganda Fide...

...different schools of moral theology were invited to collaborate O'Riordan, who cites this quote in his Clergy Review article, in writing it...

...After the publication of Per- with enabling this person to live a Christian life in his or sona humana in 1975, certain facts concerning its methodology her concrete situation...

...when counseling a homosexual person, Visser is concerned A little history is in order...

...laborators on the text, had something to say about the declaration, its interpretation and implementation, in an interview published in L'Europa [January 30, 1976...

...in this mediates between an absolute, abstract principle and a comcase, they included Cardinal Pietro Palazzini, former profes- passionate judgment concerning a real-life situation...

...Visser, one of Palazzini's col- and social ethics at Saint John's University, New York...

...versal church as "Catholic teaching...

...such a partnership, and one accepts this relationship as the When the document was first proposed, theologians from best they can do in their present situation...

...But the authoritative status the Vatican seems to think...

...In the L'Europa interview, he exand official interpretation came to light-facts that would plained, "when one is dealing with people who are so deeply seem to reduce its authoritative status...

...Visser adheres to the view that, judged in terms teaching or pastoral practice...