Dignity Canada Dignité

Dignity Canada Dignité is Canada's organization of Roman Catholics who are concerned about our church's sexual theology, particularly as it pertains to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons. We work in collaboration with other Catholic organizations seeking reform in our church's leadership and teachings.

Here we go directly to the source to see exactly what the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church has to say about us. Speaking of us in the third person, the Church admits that "homosexual persons" neither choose their sexual orientation nor can change it, however she teaches that our orientation is "disordered" leaving us no moral option except lifelong abstinence from all forms of sexual expression. Our Canadian bishops attempt to influence social policy with a view of "homosexual persons"  as a threat to the traditional heterosexual family, who therefore should not be entitled to full citizenship nor protection from hate crimes.

The Catholic Catechism on Homosexuality
1994: declares homosexuals are called to chastity

Letter from the CCCB General Secretary to the Members of the Senate of Canada on Bill C-250 – An act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda)
Canada's hate propaganda law now includes sexual orientation as a prohibited ground - but while the bill was being debated and before it was passed, the  Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops urged Canadian senators to allow a "religious exemption" to the bishops and other clergy - to continue preaching that sexual conduct between people of the same sex is morally wrong. Here is the public response by Dignity Canada Dignité.

Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons
2003: the Vatican calls upon Catholic politicians to oppose legal recognition of same-sex marriages. Dozens of American priests have written a letter to their bishops protesting the hateful language in the 2003 document.

Some Considerations Concerning the Catholic Response to Legislative Proposals on the Non-Discrimination of Homosexual Persons
1992: urged Catholics to oppose civil rights protections for homosexuals

Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons
1986: describes homosexuals as "objectively disordered", their loving relationships as "intrinsically evil"

Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics
Issued during the papacy of Paul VI, this document reaffirmed the Church's prohibition of homosexuality, birth control, masturbation, and all extra-marital sexual activity. For the Roman Catholic Church, the only legitimate expression of sexuality is unprotected sex between a married man and woman.

Apostolic Letter on Reserving Priestly Ordination to Men Alone
1994: and an astute rebuttal (1995) by the National Coalition of American Nuns : This Teaching Cannot be Infallible

Always Our Children - Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops