declaration on sexual ethics

7/27/2019 Declaration on Sexual Ethics

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st'il;lf iRroRVr|l'DECLARATIONON CERTAIN UESTIONSCONCERNINGEXUALETHICS

December9,1975

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IIIP-qJ77 DECLARATIONON CERTAINUESTIONSCONCERNINGEXUALTHICS

1. According o contemporary cientif ic research, he humanperson s so profoundly ffectedby sexuality ha t it must be con'sidered s one of the factorswhichgive o each ndividual 'sif eth e principalrai ts hatdist inguisht. ln fact t is f rom se x hat hehuman erson eceiveshe character ist icshich, n he biological ,psychologicalnd spir i tual evels,make hat persona ma n or awoman,and hereby argely onditionhi s or her progressowardsmaturity and insertion nto society.Hencesexualmatters,as isobvious o everyone, oday constitute a theme frequently andopenlydealtwith n books, eviews,magazines nd othermeansofsocial ommunicat ion.In th e present er iod, he corrupt ion f moralsha s ncreased,and one of the most ser ious ndicat ions f th is corrupt ion s th eunbridled xal tat ion f sex.Morever,hrough he means f socialcommunicat ionnd hroughpubl icentertainmenthis corrupt ionhas reached he point of invading he field of educationand ofinfect inghe generalmental i ty.ln this contextcertaineducators,eachers nd moralistshavebeenable o contribute o a betterunderstanding nd integrationinto life of the valuesproper o each of the sexes.; n the otherhand hereare hosewho havepu t forwardconcepts nd modesof

behaviorwhich are contrary o the true moral exigencies f thehumanperson.Somemembers f the lattergrouphaveevengoneso ar as o favora l icent ious edonism.. As a result, n th e course of a few years, eachings,moralcriteriaand modesof livinghitherto aithfullypreserved avebeenvery much unsettled,even among Christians.There are manypeople oday who, being confrontedwith so many widespreadopinionsopposed o the teachingwhich they received rom theChurch, av e ome o wonderwhat hey mustst i l l holdas rue.

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2. The Churchcannot remain ndif ferent o this confusion fmindsand relaxation f morals. t is a question,n fact,of a matterwhich is of the utmost mportance oth for the personal ivesofChrist iansnd or he social if eof our ime' 'The Bishopsare daily led to note the growing difficultiesexperiencedy the fai thful n obtaining nowledge f wholesomemoral eaching, special lyn sexualmatters, nd of the growing

dif f icul t ies xperienced y pastors n expoundinghis teachingeffectively. he Bishopsknow ha t by their pastoralcharge heyar e cal ledupon o meet he needsof their fai thful n this veryser iousmatter,an d importantdocuments eal ingwith it havealready ee npubl ished y someof them or by Episcopal onfer-ences.Nevertheless,ince he erroneous pinions nd result ingdeviations re continuing o spreadeverywhere,he sacred con-gregationor the Doctrine f the Faith,by virtueof its function nih e universal hurch,andby a mandate f the SupremePonti f f ,has udged t necessaryo publish he presentDeclaration'3. Th epeople f ou r im e ar e morean d moreconvincedha t th ehuman person's igni tyan d vocat ion emand hat, he y shoulddiscover, y he ightof theirow n ntel l igence,he values nnate ntheirnature,ha t he yshould easelesslyevelophese alues ndreal ize he m in their l ives, n order o achieve n ever greaterdevelopment.

In moralmattersma ncannotmake alue udgments ccordingto his personalwhim: "l n th e depths of hi s conscience, andetectsa law which he does no t imposeon himself ,but whichholdshi m o obedience.. . Fo rma nhas n hi s hearta lawwri t tenby God.To obey t is the very dignityof man; according o it hewi l l be udged." 'Moreover,hrough hi s relevationGo d ha s made known o usChrist ians is planof salvat ion, nd he has held up to us Christ ,th e Saviour nd Sanct i f ier,n his teachingan d example, s thesupreme nd mmutable awof l i fe: "l am th e l ightof the world;anyone ho ol lowsme wil l not bewalking n the dark,he wi l l haveth e ightof l i fe." 'Therefore here ca n be no true promotionof man's dignityunless he essential rderof hi s nature s respected. f course, nth e historyof civil izationmany of the concreteconditionsand

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needs f human i fehave hanged nd wil l cont inueo change. utal l evolut ion f moralsand every ypeof l i fe must be keptwithinth e imits mposed y the immutable r inciples aseduponeveryhuman person's onst i tut ive lements nd essent ial elat ions-elements nd relat ions hich ranscend istor ical ont ingency.These f undamentalpr inciples,which can be grasped byreason, re containedn "the div ine 6\ -gfslnsl , object ive nd

univsr'521-\wherebyod orders,directs and governs he entireuniverse nd al l th e ways of the humancommunity, y a plartconceived n wisdom and love. Man has been made by God topart ic ipaten this law,with the result hat, f ,underhe-.gent leis 'position of divine Providence, e can corlq 1o perceiveeverincreasinglyhe unchangingruth." ' This div inE aw s accessibleto our minds.4. Hence, hosemanypeople re in errorwho odayassert haton ecan ind neither n humannaturenor in th e revealedaw anyabsolute nd mmutable orm o serve or part icular ct ions therthan he onewhichexpressestsel f n th e general aw of chari tyand respector humandignity.As a proofof their assert ionhe ypu t forward he view ha t so-cal led orms of the natural aw orpreceptsof SacredScriptureare to be regardedonly as givenexpressionsf a form of part icular ul ture t a certainmoment fhistory.

But in fact, d iv ine Revelat ion nd, in i ts own properorder,phi losophical isdom, emphasize he authent icexigencies fhumannature. hey hereby ecessari ly anifest he existence fimmutable aws nscr ibed n the const i tut ive lements f humannature ndwhichar e evealedo be dent icaln al l beings ndowedwith reason.Furthermore, hr ist nst i tuted is Churchas "the pi l lar an dbulwark f t ruth."" With he Holy Spir i t 'sassistance,he cease-lessly preserves nd transmits without error the truths of themoralorder, nd sheauthent ical lynterprets otonly he revealedpbsit ive aw but "also . those principles f the moralorderwhichhave heiror igin n human ature tsel f" 'andwhich oncernman's ul l developmentnd sanct i f icat ion.ow n fact he Churchthroughouthe r historyhas always onsidered certainnumberofprecepts f th e natural aw as having n absolute nd immutable


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value,and in their transgression he ha s seena contradiction fthe eaching nd spir i tof the Gospel.5. Since sexualethics concerncertain undamental alues ofhumanan dChrist iani fe, his generaleaching qual ly ppl ies osexualethics. n this domain here exist pr inciples nd normswhich he Church asalways nhesitat inglyransmit ted s partofhe r eaching, owevermuch he opinions nd morals f the worldmay havebebnopposedo them.Theseprinciples nd norms nno wayow e heir origin o a certain ype of cttlture,bu t rather oknowledgef th e divine awand of humannature. hey hereforecannotbe considered s havingbecome ut of date or doubtfulunder hepretexthat a new ul tural i tuat ion asarisen.

It is these principleswhich inspired he exhortat ions nddirect ives ivenby the Second at icanCounci l or an educat ionand an organizat ion f social if e taking accountof the equaldigni ty f manan dwomanwhi le espect ingheirdi f ference. 'Speaking f " the sexual ature f man and he human acultyof procreat ion,"he Counci l oted hat they "wonderful ly xceedth e disposit ions f lower orms of l i fe." ' l t then took part icularcare o expoundhe principles nd cr i ter iawhichconcern umansexual i tyn marr iage, nd whichare based pon he inal i ty f thespecificunctionof sexuality.ln this regard he Counci l eclaresha t he moralgoodness fth e actsproper o conjugali fe,actswhichar e ordered ccordingto true humandignity, does no t depend olelyon sincere nten-t ions or on an evaluat ion f motives. t must be determined yobject ive tandards. hese,basedon th e natureof the humanperson nd his acts,preservehe ful l sense f mutualsel f-giv ingand humanprocreationn the context f true ove."'oThese inalwords r ief ly um up he Counci l 'seaching-moreful ly expoundedn an earl ierpart of the sameConst i tut ionr '-6;1th e f inal i ty f the sexual ct and on th e principal r i ter ion f i tsmoral i ty: t is respector i ts f inal i ty hat ensureshe moralgood-

the use of the sexual unct ionha s its true meaningan d moralrectitude nl y n true marriage."6. lt is no t he purpose f th e presentDeclarationo dealwith al lth e abuses f the sexualaculty, or withal l he elementsnvolvedin the practiceof chastity. ts object is rather to repeat theChurch'sdoctr ineon certain part icularpoints, n view of theurgent need to opposeseriouserrors and widespreadaberrantmodes f behavior.7. Today herear e manywh ovindicatehe right o sexual nionbeforemarriage, t least n thosecaseswherea firm intention omarryand an affectionwhich s already n someway conjugal nth e psychologyf the subjects equire hi s completion,which heyjudge o be connatural . hi s s especial lyhe casewhen he cele-brat ion f the marr iages impeded y circumstancesr when hi sint imate elat ionship eemsnecessaryn order fo r love to bepreserved.

This opinion s contrary o Christian octrine,whichstates ha tevery genital ac t must be within the frameworkof marriage.Howeverirm the intentionof thosewho practicesuch prematuresexual elat ionsma y be , th e fact remains ha t these relat ionscannot nsure, n sincer i ty nd idel i ty, he interpersonalelat ion-ship between man and a woman,nor especially an they protectthis relat ionshipro mwhimsan dcaprices. ow t i s a stable nionthat Jesuswi l led, nd he restoredts or iginal equirement, egin 'ning with the sexual difference. Have you not read that th ecreator rom he beginningmade hem malean d emalean d ha the said:This is wh y a ma n must leave ather an d mother,an dcling o hi swife,and he wo become ne body? heyare no longertwo, herefore,but one body.So then,what God has united,manmustnot div ide."" SaintPaulwi l l be evenmoreexpl ic i twhenheshows hat f unmarr ied eople r widows annot iv echastelyhe yhave ootheral ternat ivehan he stable nion f marr iage:. . . i tis better to marry than to be aflamewith passion."'oThroughrlarriage, n fact, he loveof marriedpeople s taken up into thatlovewhichChrist rrevocablyas or th e Church, 'uhi ledissolutesexualunion" def i les he temple of the Holy Spir i t which th eChrist ian as become. exual nion herefores only egit imatefa definitivecommunityof life has been established etween hema nand hewoman.

nessof this act.This same principle,which the Church holds from divineRevelat ion nd from her authent ic nterpretat ion f the naturallaw. s also he basisof her radi t ional octr ine, hichstates ha t

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This is what the Church has alwaysunderstood nd taught,"and she inds a profound greement i th he r doctr ine n men'sreflection nd n the essons f history.Experienceeaches s that lovemust ind its safeguardn thestabil ityof marriage, f sexual ntercourses truly to respond o th erequirements f i ts own final i tyand to thoseof humandignity.These equirements all fo r a conjugalcontract sanctionedand

guaranteed y society-a contractwhichestablishes stateof lifeof capital mportance oth or the exclusive nionof the ma nan dth e womanand for th e goodof their family and of the humancommunity.Most often, n fact, premari tal elat ions xclude hepossibil ity f children.What s representedo be conjugal ove snot able,as it absolutely houldbe, o develop nto paternal ndmaternal ove.Or, if it does happen o do so, this will be to thedetr imentof the chi ldren,wh o wil l be deprivedof the stableenvironmentn which hey ought o developn order o f ind in i tthe wayan d he means f their nsert ion nto society s a whole.Theconsent ivenby peoplewh owish o be united n marriagemust herefore e manifested xternal ly nd in a mannerwhichmakes t valid n the eyesof society.As far as the faithfulare con-cerned,heirconsento th e sett ing p of a community f conjugall i femustbe e::pressedccordingo the awsof th e Church. t is aconsent hichmakes heir marr iage Sacrament f Christ .

8. At the present ime hereare hosewho, basing hemselves nobservationsn th e psychologicalrder, have begun o judge in -dulgently,and even to excusecompletely,homosexual elationsbetween ertainpeople. his hey do in opposition o the constantteachingof the Magister ium nd to the moral sense of theChristian eople.A dist inct ion s drawn,and i t seemswith some reason,be -tweenhomosexuals hose endency omes rom a falseeducation,from a lack of normal sexualdevelopment,rom habit, from badexample, r from othersimi lar auses, nd s transi tory r at leastno t incurable; nd homosexuals hoar e definitively uch becauseof some kind of innate nst inctor a pathological onst i tut ionjudged o be ncurable.ln regard o this secondcategoryof subjects,some peopleconcludehat heir endencys so natural hat i t just i f ies n their

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casehomosexualelat ions i th ina sincere ommunion f l i fe andloveanalogouso marr iage, n so far as such homosexualsee lincapable f enduring sol i taryi fe.In th e pastoral ie ld, these homosexuals ust certainlybetreated with understanding nd sustained n the hope of over-coming heir personal i f f icul t ies nd their inabi l i ty o f i t intosociety.Their culpabi l i tywi l l be judgedwith prudence.Bu t nopastoralmethod an beemployed hichwouldgivemoral ust i f ica-

t ion to theseacts on th e grounds ha t they would be consonantwith the conditionof such people.Fo r according o the objectivemoralorder,homosexualelat ions reactswhich ac kan essent ialan d ndispensableinal i ty. n Sacred cr ipturehe yar econdemnedas a serious epravity nd evenpresented s the sad consequenceof reject ingGod."This udgment f Scr ipture oes not of coursepermitus o concludeha t al l thosewho suffer ro m hi s anomalyare personallyesponsibleor it , bu t it doesattest o the fact thathornosexualct s ar e intr insical ly isordered nd can in no casebe approved.9. Th e radit ional athol ic octr ineha t masturbat iononst i tutesa grave moral disorder s often called into doubt or expresslydenied oday. t is said hat psychology nd sociology how hat iti s a normalphenomenonf sexual evelopment,special lymongth e young. t is stated hat there s realan d serious ault only nth e measure hat the subject del iberatelyndulges n sol i tarypleasure losed n on sel f (" ipsat ion"),becausen this case heact would ndeedbe radical ly pposed o the lovingcommunionbetweenpersonsof different sex which some hold is what ispr incipal lyought n he useof he sexualaculty.

Thisopinion s contradictoryo the eaching nd pastoral rac-tice of the CatholicChurch.Whatever he force of certain argu-mentsof a biological nd phi losophicalature,which have ome't imesbeenusedby theologians,n fact both he Magister ium fthe Church-in the courseof a constant radition-snfl the moralsense f the faithful havedeclaredwithout hesitation hat mastur-bat ion s an intr insical ly nd ser iously isordered ct." Th e mainreason s that, whatever he motive or acting in this way, th edel iberateus e of the sexual aculty outside normal conjugalrelat ions ssent ial ly ontradictshe f inal i tyof the faculty.Fo r tlacks he sexual elat ionshipal led or by he moralorder,namely

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neighbor r to the socialorderbu t because he fornicatoroffendsagainstChristwh ohas edeemed im with his bloodan dof whomhe is a member, nd against he Holy Spir i tof whom he is th etemple. You know, urely, hat yourbodies re membersmakingup the bodyof Christ. . . All the other sinsarecommittedoutsidethe body; bu t to fornicate s to sin againstyour own body.Yourbody,you know, s the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in yousinceyou received im from God.You are no t your own property;you have been boughtan d paid for. That is why yo u shoulduseyour body or the gloryof God.""

The more he faithfulappreciatehe valueof chastityan d it snecessary ole in their l ives as men and women, he better heywi l l understand, y a kind of spir i tual nst inct, ts moral require-ments and counsels. n the sameway they will know better howto acceptand carry out, in a spir i t of doci l i ty o th e Church'steaching,what an upright conscience ictates n concrete ases.12 . Th e Apost leSaintPaul descr ibesn viv id erms he painfulinteriorconflictof the personenslavedo sin: he conflictbetween"the law of his mind" an d the " law of s in which dwel ls n hismembers"and which holds him capt ive."Bu t man'can achieveliberation iom his "body doomed o death" through he graceofJesusChrist."Thisgrace s enjoyed y thosewho havebeen usti-fied by it and whom "the law of the spirit of l ife in ChristJesusha sse t free rom the law of sin and death."'o t is for this reasonthat the Apostleadjures hem: "That is why yo u must not let sinreign n yourmortalbodies r command ou robedienceo bodi lypassions."'

This iberation,which its one o serveGod n newness f l ife,does not however uppress he concupiscenceeriving rom orig-inals in,northe promptingso evi l n this world,which s " in thepowerof the evilone."" This is why he Apostleexorts he faithfult0 overcome emptationsby the powerof God" and to "standagalnst he wilesof the devil"" by faith, watchfulprayer'o nd anausterity f l ife hat brings he body nto subjectiono the Spirit."

Lirvinghe Christian ife by following n the footsteps f Christrequireshat everyonehould denyhimself nd ak eup hi s crossdaily,"" sustained y he hopeof reward, or "i f we havedied wlthhim,we shal la lso eignwith him.""In accordance ith hesepressing xhortations,he faithfulof

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th e present ime, and indeed oday more han ever, must use hemeanswhichhavealways ee n ecommendedy the Church orl iv inga chaste i fe.Thesemeans re:discipl ine f th e senses ndthe mind,watchfulnessnd prudencen avoiding ccasions f s in,the observance f modesty,moderation n recreation,wholesomepursuits,assiduousprayerand frequent receptionof the Sacra-ments of Penance nd the Eucharist . oung peopleespecial lyshouldearnestlyosterdevotion o the lmmaculateMotherof,God,and take as exampleshe l ivesof the Saintsan d other fai thfulpeople,especial ly oung ones,who excel led n th e pract iceofchastity.

I t is important n part icularhat everyone houldhavea highesteem or the virtueof chastity, ts beauty nd ts powerof attrac-t ion.Thisvir tue ncreaseshe humanperson's igni tyan denableshi m o love ruly,dis interestedly,nself ishly nd with respect orothers.13 . l t is up to the Bishops o instruct he fai thful n the moralteachingconcerning exualmorality, howevergreat may be th edif f icul t iesn carrying ut his work n th e faceof ideasan d prac-t icesgeneral ly revai l ingoday.This radi t ional octr inemust bestudiedmoredeeply. t must be handed n in a way capable fproperlyenlightening he consciences f those confrontedwithne wsituat ions nd t must be enrichedwith a discernment f al lthe elementsha t ca n ruthful lyand useful ly e brought orwardabout he meaning nd valueof human sexual i ty. ut the prin-ciplesan d normsof moral iv ing reaff i rmedn this Declarat ionmust be ai thful ly eld and aught. t wi l l especial ly e necessaryto br ing he fai thful o understandha t the Churchholds heseprinciples ot as old and nviolable uperst i t ions,or out of someManichaeanrejudice, s s oftenal leged, ut ratherbecause heknowswith certainty hat they are in completeharmonywith thedivine rderof creat ion ndwith he spir i tof Christ , nd hereforealsowithhuman igni ty.

I t is ikewisehe Bishops'mission o see hat a sounddoctr ineenlightenedby faith and directed by the Magisteriumof theChurch s taught in Facult ies f Theology nd in Seminaries.Bishopsmustalsoensure hat confessorsnl ighten eople's on -sciences nd ha t catecheticalnstruction s given n perfect idel-ity o Catholic octrine.15


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th e relat ionship hich eal izesth e ful l sense f mutual el f-giv ingand humanprocreationn the contextof true love."'o ll deliberateexercise f sexualitymust be reservedo this regular elationship.Even f it cannotbe proved hat Scripturecondemns his sin byname, he traditionof the Churchhas rightly understoodt to becondemned n the Ne w Testamentwhen the latter speaks of" impuri ty," "unchasteness" nd othervicescontrary o chast i tyand continence.Sociological urveysare able to show he frequencyof thisdisorderaccording o th e places,populat ions r c ircumstancesstudied. n this way facts are discovered, ut facts do not con-st i tute cr i ter ion or udging he moral alueof humanacts."Th efrequency f the phenomenonn quest ions certainlyo be inkedwith man's nnateweaknessol lowing r ig inal in; but i t is also obe linkedwith the lossof a senseof God,with th e corruptionofmorals ngenderedy the commercial izat ionf vice,with he un -restrainedicent iousnessf so many publ icentertainmentsndpubl icat ions,s wel l as with he neglect f modesty, hich s theguardian f chastity.On the subjectof masturbationmodernpsychology rovides

muchval idan d useful nformationor fo;mulat ing moreequit-able udgment n moral responsibi l i tynd for or ient ingpastoralaction.Psychology elpsone o seehow he immaturityof adoles-cence whichcan sometimes ersistafter hat age),psychologicalimbalanceor habit can inf luence behavior,diminishing hedel iberate haracter f the act and br ingingabout a si tuat ionwhereby ubjectivelyheremay not alwaysbe serious ault. But ingeneral , he absence f ser ious esponsibi l i ty ust not be pre-sumed; his would be to misunderstandeople'smoral capacity.In th e pastoralministry, n order o form an adequateudg-ment n concrete ases, he habitualbehavior f peoplewi l l beconsideredn i ts total i ty, ot only with regard o the individual 's

practiceof charity and of justice but also with regard to theindividual 'sar e n observinghe part icular recepts f chast i ty.In part icular, ne wi l l have o examinewhether he individual susing he necessary eans, oth naturaland supernatural , hichChristianasceticism rom its long experi.enceecommends orovercominghe passionsnd progressingn vir tue.10. The observance f the moral aw n the field of sexuality ndthe practice f chastityhavebeenconsiderably ndangered,spe-10

cial lyamong es s erventChrist ians, y the current endency ominimize s ar as possible, he nnot denying utr ight, he real i tyof grave in ,at least n people's ctual ives.Thereare thosewho go as fa r as to affirm that mortal sin,which auses eparat ion om God, nlyexists n he ormal efusaldirect ly pposed o God'scal l , or in that sel f ishness hichcom'pletelyand deliberately loses tself o the loveof neighbor.They

sa y ha t t is only hen ha t herecomes nt oplay he fundamentalopt ion, ha t s o say he decision hich otal ly ommits he personan dwhich s necessaryf mortalsi n is to exist ;by this opt ion heperson, ro m the depthsof the personal i ty,akesup or rat i f iesfundamental t t i tude owardsGo d or people'On the contrary,so-cal ledperipheral"act ions which, t is said, usual lydo no tinvolve ecisive hoice), o not go so far as to change he funda-mental pt ion, he lessso since he yoftencome,as is observed,fromhabit .Thussuchact ions anweakenhe undamentalpt ion,bu t not to sucha degreeas to change t completely'Now accord-ing o theseauthors, change f th e fundamental pt ion owardsGoclesseasily omesabout n the fieldof sexualactivity,whereapersongeneral ly oe snot transgresshe moral order n a ful lydel iberate nd responsible anner ut ratherunder he inf luenceof passion,weakness,mmatur i ty, ometimes ve n hrough hei l lusion f thus showing ov e or someone lse'To thesecausesthere s oftenadded he pressure f thesocial nvironment.In real i ty, t is preciselyhe fundamental pt ionwhich n thelast resortdef inesa person'smoral disposit ion. ut i t can becompletely hanged y part icular cts,especial ly hen,as oftenhappens,hese have been prepared or by previousmore super'f ic ia l acts.Whateverhe case, t is wrong o say that part icularactsar eno tenough o const i tute ortal in 'According o the Church's eaching,mortal s in, which isopposedo God,doesnot consistonly in formal and direct resist'ance o the commandment f chari ty. t is equal ly o be found nthis opposit iono authent ic ov ewhich s included n everyde 'l i6erateransgression,n seriousmatter, f each f the moral aws'Christhimself as ndicatedhe double ommandmentf loveas he basis f th e moral i fe.But on this commandmentepends"the whole aw, nd he Prophets lso."" t thereforencludeshe

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other part icular recepts.n fact, o the youngma n who asked,". . . what good deed must I do to possess ternal ife?" Jesusrepl ied: . . if yo u wish o enter nto l i fe, keep he command-ments. . . You mustnot k i l l .You must not commitadultery. oumust not steal.You must not br ing false witness.Honor yourfather and mother,and: yo u must love your neighbor s your-sel f .""A person hereforesins mortally not only when his action

comes rom direct contempt or love of God and neighbor,bu talsowhen he consciously nd freely, or whatever eason, hoosessomething hich s ser iously isordered. or n hi s choice, s hasbeen ai dabove,here s alreadyncluded ontemptor the div inecommandment:he personurnshimself wa y rom Godand oseschari ty.Now according o Christ ian radit ionand the Church'steaching, nd as r ight reason lso ecognizes,he moralorderofsexual i tynvolves uchhighvalues f human if e ha t every i rectviolat ion f th isorder sobject ivelyer ious."I t is true hat n sinsof the sexual rder, n viewof their k indand heir causes,t moreeasi lyhappensha t free consent s notful lygiven; his s a factwhichcal ls or caut ion n al l udgment sto the subject 's esponsibi l i ty.n this matter i t is . part icular lyopportune o recall he followingwordsof Scripture: Man looksatappearances ut God looks at the heart."" However,althoughprudences recommendedn udging he subject iveer iousnessfa part icular infulact, t in no way ol lows hat one can hold heview ha t in th e sexual ield mortalsins are not committed.Pastorsof souls must thereforeexercisepatienceand good-ness;but they are not al lowed o renderGod'scommandmentsnul l , nor to reduce unreasonably eople's esponsibi l i ty.Todiminish n no way the saving eaching f Christ const i tutes neminent orm of chari ty or souls.Bu t this must ever be accom-

paniedby pat ience nd goodness,uc has the Lord himselfgaveexample f in deal ingwith people.Having ome not to condemnbut to save,he was indeed ntransigent i th evi l , but merci fultowardsndividuals."11. As ha sbeen ai dabove, he purpose f this Declarat ions todraw he attent ion f the fai thful n present-dayircumstancesocertain errors and modes of behaviorwhich they must guardagainst.The virtue of chastity, however, s in no way confinedI2

solely o avoidinghe faultsalready isted. t is aimedat attaininghigherand moreposit ive oals. t is a vir tuewhichconcernshewholepersonal i ty,s regards oth nter ior nd outwardbehavior.Indiv iduals houldbe endowedwith this vir tue according otheir state n l i fe: or some t wi l l meanvirgini tyor cel ibacy on-secratedo God,which s an eminentway of giv ingoneselfmoreeasi ly o Godalonewith an undivided eart ."Fo rothers t wi l l ake

th e form determined y the moral aw,according o whether he yare marriedor single.Bu twhateverhe stateof life, chastity s notsimplyan external tate; t must makea person's eart pure naccordancewith Christ'swords: "You have learnedhow it wassaid:Yo umustnot commitadultery. ut I say his o you: f a manlooksat a woman ustful ly,he has alreadycommittedadulterywithher n hisheart .""Chast i tys includedn that cont inence hichSaintPaulnum'bersamong he gif tsof the HolySpir i t ,whi lehe condemns ensu-al i tyas a vicepart icular ly nworthy f the Christ ian nd on ewhichprecludes ntry nto he kingdom f heaven."What Godwants sfor al l o beholy.He wants ou o keepaway ro m ornicat ion, nd

eachon eof you o knowhow o use he body hat belongs o hi min a way hat is holyan d honorable, ot giv ingway o sel f ish us tl ike he pagans ho do no t knowGod.He wantsnobody t al l everto sin by taking advantage f a brother n thesematters. ' . Wehavebeencal ledby God o be holy,not to be immoral. n otherwords,anyonewho objects s not objecting o a humanauthority,bu t to God,wh o givesyo u his Holy Spir i t . " 'o Amongyo u theremustnot beeven mention f fornicat ion r impuri ty n an yof it sforms,or promiscuity:hi s wouldhardlybecome he saints!Fo ryo u ca n be quite certain hat nobodywh o actual ly ndulges nfornicat ion r impuri tyor promiscuity-which s worshippingfalsegod-can inheri tanything f the kingdom f God.Do not etanyonedeceiveyou with empty arguments: t is for this looseliving hat God's angercomes down on those who rebel againsthim. Makesure ha t yo u ar e no t includedwith them. Yo u weredarkness nce,bu t no wyo uare ight n the Lord;be l ike chi ldrenof light, orthe effectsof the light are seen n complete oodnessan d ight iv ing nd ruth." 'I In addit ion, he Apost lepointsout the specif ical ly hr ist ianmotive or ,practicing hastitywhenhe condemns he sin of forni-cat ion ot only n the measureha t hi s act ion s in jur iouso one's

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I It rests with Bishops, he priestsan d their collaboratorsoalert the faithful against he erroneous pinionsoften expressedin books, eviews nd publicmeetings.Parents,n the first place, nd also eachers f the youngmustendeavortoea d heir chi ldren nd heir pupi ls,by way of a com-pleteeducat ion,o th e psychological ,motional nd moralmatur-ity befitt ing heir age. They will thereforeprudently give theminformation uited o their age; and they wi l l assiduouslyor mtheirwi l ls n accordance i th Christ ianmorals, ot only by advicebu t above l l by the example f their own ives, ely ing n God'shelp,which hey wi l l obtain n prayer. he ywi l l l ikewise rotectth eyoung rom he manydangers f which heyar equiteunaware.Art ists,wri ters ndal l hosewh ouse he means f social om-municat ion houldexerciseheir professionn accordance it htheir Christ ianaith and with a clearawareness f the enormousinf luence hich hey can have.Theyshould ememberha t "theprimacy f the objectivemoralordermustbe regarded s absoluteby al l ,"" and hat i t is wrong or them o giveprior i tyabove t t oany so-cal led esthet ic urpose, r to mater ialadvantage r to

success.Whether t be a questionof artistic or literary works,publ icentertainmentr providingnformation, ach ndividualnhi sor herow ndomainmustshow act,discret ion, oderat ion nda true sense f values. n this way, fa r om adding o the growingpermissivenessf behavior, ac h individualwi l l contr ibute o-wardscontrol l ingt and even owardsmaking he moral c l imateof societymorewholesome.Al l lay people, or their part , by vir tue of their r ights anddut ies n th eworkof the apostolate,hould ndeavoro act n th esameway.Finally, t is necessaryo remindeveryone f the wordsof th e

SecondVaticanCounci l : This Holy Synod ikewise f f i rms hatchildrenan dyoungpeoplehavea right to be encouragedo weighmoral alueswithan upright onscience,nd o embrace hem bypersonal hoice, o knowand loveGodmore adequately. ence, tearnestlyentreats all who exercisegovernmentover peopleorpresideover he work of education o see ha t youth s neverde -privedof this sacred ight."'uAt the audience rantedon November , 7975 o the under-signedPrefectof the SacredCongregationor the Doctrineof the

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Faith, he SovereignPontiff by divine providencePope Paul Vlapprovedhis Declarat ionOn certain uest ionsoncerningexualethics," onf i rmedt an dorderedts publ icat ion.Given n Rome, t the SacredCongregationor the Doctrine fthe Faith, n December9, 1975.

vFRANJOCard. SEPERPrefect

X tr . . rEn6naeAMER,.P .Titular Archbishopof LoriumSecretary


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FOOTNOTES' Cf. Second Vatican EcumenicalCounci l , Consti tut ion on the Churchin the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 47t AAS 58 (1966), p. 1067.

. 'Cf. Apostolic Constitution Regimini Ecclesiae Universae, 29 (August15, 1967): AAS 59 (1967), p. a97.3Gaudium et Spes, 16: AAS 58 (1966), p. 1037.aJn 8:L2.5SecondVaticanEcumenicalCounci l ,Declarat ionDigni tat isHumanae,3: AAS 58 (1966), p.931.61 Ti m 3:15.'1Dignitatis Humanae, L4: AAS 58 (1966), p. 940; cf. Pius Xl, Encycli-cal Letter CastiConnubi i ,December31, 1930: AA S22 (1930), pp . 579-580;Pius Xf , Al locution of November 2, L954; AAS 46 (1954), pp . 67L-672;John XXlff , Encycl ical Letter Mater et Magistra, May 15 , 1961: AAS 53(1961), p.457; Paul Vl, EncyclicalLetter HumanaeVitae,4, July 25, 1968:AAS 60 (1968), p.483.8Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Counci l . Declarat ion GravissimumEducationis,1, 8: AA S 58 (1966), pp.729-730;734-736. Gaudium et Spes,29,60,67: AAS 58 (i966), pp. 1048-1049,1080-1081,1088-1089.eGaudium et Spes,51: AAS 58 (1966), p. IO72.tolbid,; cf. also 49: loc. cit., pp. 1069-1070.t lbid.,49, 5O: oc. c i t . ,pp . 1069-1072.

"The presentDeclarat ion oes not go into further detai l regarding henorms of sexual if e within marriage; hese norms have been clearly aughtin the Encyclical Letters Casti Connubii and Humanae Vitae.t3Cf. Mt 19:4-6.rr 1 Cor 7:9.

" Cf. Eph 5:25-32.t6Sexual ntercourseoutside marriage is formal ly condemned: 1 Co r5:1; 6:9; 7:2; LQ:8;Ep h 5:5; 1 Tim 1:10; Heb 13:4;and wi th expl ic i t reasons:L Cor 6:12-2O.'7Cf. Innocent lV, Letter Sub catholica professione, March 6, 1254, DS835; Pius l, Propos.damn. n Ep. Cum sicut accepimus,NovemberL4, 1459,DS 1367; Decrees of the Holy Office, September 24, 1665, DS 2045; March2, L679, DS 2148. Pius Xl , Encycl icalLetter Casti Connubi i , December31 ,1930:AA S 22 (7930) pp.558-559." Rom 1:24-27'. ThaI is why God left them to their f i l thy enjoymentsand the practiceswith which they dishonor their own bodies, since theyhave given up divine truth for a li e and have worshipped and served crea-

tures instead of the creator , who is blessed for ever. Amen! That is whyGod has abandoned hem to degrading passions:why their women haveturned from natural ntercourse o unnatural pract icesan d why their men-folk have given up natural intercourse o be consumed with passion fo reach other, men doing shameless hings wi th men and gett ing an appro-priate reward for their perversion." See also what Saint faul siys of rnas-culorum concubi tores n 1 Cor 6:10: 1 Tim 1:10." Cf. Leo lX, Letter Ad splendidum nifentis, in the year 1054: DS 687-688, Decreeof the Holy Off ice,March2, 1679: DS 2L49; Pius Xll, Allocutio,October 8, 1953: AAS 45 (1953), pp. 677-678; May 19, 1956: AAS 48(1956), pp.472-473.z0Gaudiumet Spes,51: AAS 58 (1966), p.1072.

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" ", , . if sociological surveys are useful for better discovering thethought patterns of th e people of a part icular place, the anxiet ies andneedsof those o whom we proclaim he word of God, and also he opposi t ionmade o i t by modern reasoning hrough the widespreadnotion that outsidescience here exists no legi t imate orm of knowledge,st i l l the conclusionsdrawn from such surveyscould not of themselvesconsti tute a determiningcri terionof truth," Paul Vl , Apostol icExhortat ionQuinque am anni, Decem-be r 8, 1970,AAS63 (1971), p. 102." Mt22:38,40.'3 Mt 19:16-19.'r Cf. note 17 and 19 above: Decree of the Holy Office, March 18, 1666,DS 2060; Paul Vl, EncyclicalLetterHumanaeVitae, 13 , 14: AAS 60 (1968),pp. 489-496." L Sam 16:7.'1 6 aul Vl, Encycl ical etter HumanaeVitae,29: AAS 60 (1968), p. 501.'1 7 f. 1 Cor 7:7, 34; Counci lof Trent, SessionXXIV, can. 1O :DS.1810;Second Vatican Council, Constitution Lumen Gentium, 42, 43, 44: AAS 57(1965), pp. 47-5I; Synod of Bishops, De Sacerdotio Ministerial i, part ll ,4, b: AAS 63 (1971), pp. 915-916.'?8 t 5:28." Cf. Gal 5:19-23: . Cor 6:9-11.301 Thess4:3-8; cf. Col 3:5-7; 1 Tim 1:10.3'Eph 5:3-8;cf. 4:18-19.'2 Cor 6:15, 18-20.33Cf. Rom 7:23.3{Cf. Rom 7:24-25.35Cf. Rom 8:2.tt Ro m 6:12.3' 1 Jn 5:L9.38Cf. 1 Co r 10:13.3' Ep h 6:11.'oCf. Eph 6:16, 18.a'Cf t Cor 9:27.', Lk9:23.1t2 Tim 2:Ll-12.g Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decree lnter Mirifica, 6: AAS 56(1964), p. L47.ouGravissimurn Educationis, 1: AAS 58 (1966), p. 730.

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declaration on sexual ethics

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