Denying Love as Sin - Reconsidering Same-Sex Acts in Catholic Theology

<p>This paper reexamines the Catholic moral tradition’s treatment of same-sex acts. While the Catechism describes such acts as “intrinsically disordered” (CCC 2357), a Thomistic reading clarifies that disorder is the universal condition of fallen creation, not equivalent to sin. Augustine and Aquinas alike teach that sin is specifically that which opposes charity—the love of God and neighbor (ST II-II.23.2; In Ep. Io. ad Parthos 7.8). Scripture identifies love as the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13:10) and the very presence of God (1 Jn 4:16). From this perspective, authentic same-sex love, expressed in fidelity and mutual self-gift, cannot be inherently sinful. Rather, the deeper moral failure lies in denying or condemning genuine love, since to resist charity is to resist God Himself. Building on Vatican II’s universal call to holiness (Gaudium et Spes 24; Lumen Gentium 11), this paper proposes an “ecclesiology of accompaniment” in which the Church’s task is not to reject disorder but to heal it through love.</p>