Prof Eamonn Conway The Pope’s words on same-sex civil-unions aren’t a departure from Church teaching, a leading theologian has said.
In a statement, Fr Eamonn Conway of Mary Immaculate College said: “The Church’s stance towards civil unions is a matter of prudential judgement and not one of dogma.
“This recent statement by Pope Francis is not to be misunderstood as a change in the Church’s teaching on homosexuality or on marriage. Pope Francis teaches consistently that marriage can only be validly contracted between a man and a woman,” he added.
Partnerships
He raised the point that Pope Francis has departed from his immediate predecessors in his approach towards civil unions and partnerships, as he believes civil legal protections ought to be afforded to same-sex unions.
Pope Francis first voiced support for legal recognition of civil unions in 2010.
“He urged his fellow bishops in Argentina to join with him in an effort to prevent the introduction of same-sex marriage,” Dr Conway explained.
Having seen the social isolation and familial exclusion that gay people were subjected to in Argentina, “Pope Francis developed his reasons for recognising civil unions when he stated that the Church ‘needs to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain stability’,” Dr Conway said.
“His remarks this week are consistent with this view. Life partners, whether in a sexual relationship or not, will often have supported each other intensely and may well have made profound sacrifices for one another throughout their lives.
“They have earned the right to some level of recognition and civil protection of their relationship when it comes to important decisions, for instance, such as deciding important matters like medical intervention, inheritance and so on.”
Pope Francis comments were pastorally motivated by what he calls “the logic of the Gospel”, Fr Conway concluded.