Fr. Gerald Murray accuses Pope Francis of ‘endorsing the homosexual lifestyle’

(LifeSiteNews) — Father Gerald Murray has accused Pope Francis of “endorsing the homosexual lifestyle” in the Pontiff’s newly released memoir.

During the January 16 episode of Raymond Arroyo’s “The World Over,” Fr. Murray opined that instead of renewing the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, the Pope was in fact “endorsing the homosexual lifestyle by saying that these people have to be respected, that the Catholic Church should not say anything to disturb the peace and tranquility of people who have embraced the homosexual lifestyle.”

Billed as a quasi-autobiography, Hope contains only little significant content but does provide Francis a space to repeat comments he has made about homosexual individuals and devotees of the traditional Mass.

Renewing his prior criticism of laws against homosexuality, which are particularly prevalent in African nations, Francis said that homosexuality “is a human fact” to which the Church must not respond “faintheartedly.”

READ: Pope Francis says God loves homosexuals ‘as they are’ in new memoir

Continuing, Francis made a suggestion appearing to remove the need for conversion away from the practice of a homosexual lifestyle:

God the Father loves them with the same unconditional love, He loves them as they are, and He accompanies them in the same way that He does with all of us, being close by, merciful, and tender.

But commenting on the Pope’s passages, Murray questioned what Francis’ intention was when saying that “God loves homosexuals just as they are.”

“Does he mean God loves them committing acts of sodomy? I hope not, because sodomy is a mortal sin, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that it is an abomination,” warned Murray. “It’s a horrible thing. It should never be done.”

The well known priest – a canonist and priest of the Archdiocese of New York – also said the Pontiff was “spouting propaganda of the homosexual interest groups.”

READ: Pope Francis accuses young Catholic priests who like the Latin Mass of ‘mental imbalance’

“What he’s referring to as crime is sodomy,” noted Murray in response to EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo. “Sodomy was outlawed in the entire Christendom for most of history. That was done away with recently in most countries, but in African countries, those laws against sodomy continue.” (A number of saints and Fathers of the Church did in fact call for legal punishments against the practice of homosexuality.)

The Catholic Church teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered. They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”

Drawing from such aspects of Catholic morality, Murray added that “you have no right to commit sodomy. It’s an immoral act and it’s socially destructive.”

READ: Pope Francis says Church must fight anti-sodomy laws and bishops who support them need conversion

We have to preach the truth of Christ and say there is no happiness and salvation in pursuing a life that’s dedicated to committing acts of mortal sin. That is not the way you’re supposed to live.

That’s the message of the Church, it’s always been that message.

Under Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1986, the Vatican issued a document instructing bishops on the pastoral care of homosexual persons. The text admonished bishops to ensure they, and any “pastoral programme” in the diocese, are “clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral.”

Ratzinger’s text outlined that an authentic pastoral approach would “assist homosexual persons at all levels of the spiritual life: through the sacraments, and in particular through the frequent and sincere use of the sacrament of Reconciliation, through prayer, witness, counsel and individual care.”

But it also noted that all those involved in providing such pastoral care must be clear about the Church’s teaching, since “departure from the Church’s teaching, or silence about it, in an effort to provide pastoral care is neither caring nor pastoral. Only what is true can ultimately be pastoral. The neglect of the Church’s position prevents homosexual men and women from receiving the care they need and deserve.

“Therefore special concern and pastoral attention should be directed toward those who have this condition, lest they be led to believe that the living out of this orientation in homosexual activity is a morally acceptable option. It is not.”

A prior 1975 document from the Vatican, Persona Humana, reads: “There can be no true promotion of man’s dignity unless the essential order of his nature is respected.”

Through his regular audiences and meetings with notable LGBT advocates – such as Father James Martin SJ and New Ways Ministry – Pope Francis has given much hope to such activists that Church teaching on homosexuality could be up for change in the future.

Drawing on this undercurrent, leading prelates have suggested that the Catechism should have its language on homosexuality changed in order to be more welcoming and less “hurtful.”

READ: Cardinal Schönborn cites death penalty revision when asked about changing Catechism on LGBT issues

Though he has stipulated that Catholic teaching only admits marriage between a man and a woman, Francis has controversially defended civil unions for same-sex “couples” as well as authorizing the blessing of same-sex “couples” who present themselves together for such a blessing.