SEATTLE, June 22, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Supporters of gay “marriage” fail to understand both the purpose of sex and the nature of human beings, said one Catholic bishop last week.
Bishop Robert Vasa, formerly of Baker, Oregon and now coadjutor bishop of Santa Rosa, California, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com on the topic at the U.S. bishops’ conference in Seattle. Asked to comment on the fight for same-sex “marriage,” Vasa indicated that the mainstream emphasis on equality and civil rights completely misses the point of the debate.
The real controversy, said Vasa, revolves around “a proper philosophical understanding of the nature of the human person, and the nature of sexual interaction between persons of the opposite sex.” It also stems from a general “failure to recognize and understand that sexual love is not about self-gratification and pleasure,” but about “entering into a relationship with another person which is by its nature capable of being fruitful.”
“In some ways homosexual relationships try to imitate [the marital relationship between a man and a woman], but that’s all it is: an imitation,” he said. “Some semblance of union which can never be fruitful or productive cannot really be an expression of love, it can only be an expression of self-gratification.”
While supporters “may not recognize this,” said Vasa, calling homosexual relationships by the name of marriage amounts to a “corruption” of an institution reserved for a union that is “faithful, permanent, and child-oriented.”
“Marriage is unique, it has its own internal dynamism and internal definition, and you cannot change the nature of a homosexual relationship by calling it ‘marriage,’” he said. “It is still not marriage, because marriage has its own identity, and
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“because marriage has its own identity, and…”
Just a note to the interested, I heard Bishop Vasa speak at a conference in Seattle last spring, speaking on his “child safety” program that his diocese has produced. Not only is he an excellent speaker, but the program they have put together is outstanding. Its called, “Healthy Families, Safe Children.” The premise of this is that if children are solidly emotionally attached to their parents, the risk level of predation drops profoundly, because children innately identify with a safe relationship and one that is unsafe.
Rather than teaching a child all that they must be aware of to avoid abuse, it teaches parents how they must relate to their child in order to develop healthy attachment.
It is really a beautiful Catholic parenting program. Done in 12 or so twenty minute segments, followed by facilitated discussion. Excellent for development at the parish level, with young families. Brilliant guy, His Excellency.