{"id":3368,"date":"2013-03-13T20:05:39","date_gmt":"2013-03-14T00:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=3368"},"modified":"2013-03-14T04:28:10","modified_gmt":"2013-03-14T08:28:10","slug":"how-will-pope-francis-deal-with-the-sexual-issues-facing-the-catholic-church-theologian-christopher-west-offers-his-thoughts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2013\/03\/how-will-pope-francis-deal-with-the-sexual-issues-facing-the-catholic-church-theologian-christopher-west-offers-his-thoughts.html","title":{"rendered":"How will a new Pope deal with the sexual issues facing the Catholic Church? Theologian Christopher West offers his thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n

New Pope, same issues.<\/strong> Pope Francis certainly has made an impressive entry onto the world stage and, from press accounts<\/a>, is a man of great humility who seems like just the person to rejuvenate the Church with a fresh start. He certainly has the goodwill of Catholics, including me, who certainly hope and pray for his success.<\/p>\n

But serious issues — often pertaining, in one way or another, to sex — persist. Does this new Pope have the opportunity to deal with them in a new way and, perhaps, change some unflattering perceptions of the Church? Or is his papacy more or less locked into approaching these issues in the same way the Church always has? I asked Catholic theologian Christopher West. His thought-provoking new book Fill These Hearts: God, Sex and the Universal Longing<\/a><\/em> tackles the challenges of presenting Church teaching on human sexuality in a modern world in a forthright way.\u00a0 It should be noted that I asked my questions prior to the actual announcement of the selection Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina as the first South American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Still, his answers are relevant and, I think, interesting.<\/p>\n

JWK: <\/strong>With a new Pope about to lead the Catholic Church, is there any room at all for an updating on Catholic teachings toward sex (i.e. birth control)?<\/p>\n

CHRISTOPHER WEST:<\/strong> If by \u201cupdating\u201d you mean finding ever better ways to explain and present the Church\u2019s teaching as the path to authentic freedom, happiness, and love that it is \u2013 absolutely, and it\u2019s desperately needed.\u00a0 In fact, just such an updating was begun by John Paul II and continued by Pope Benedict, but still has yet to be given a widespread hearing.\u00a0 However, if by \u201cupdating\u201d you mean\u00a0an about-face change of Church teaching, that is not possible.\u00a0 The nature of true love is eternal and unchanging because God, who is<\/em> love, is eternal and unchanging.<\/p>\n

JWK: <\/strong>Could rules about married clergy and\/or woman priests be altered without undermining any fundamental principles of the Church?<\/p>\n

CW:<\/strong> These are two different questions. In terms of married priests, we often forget about the entirely valid practice of Eastern Catholics who have married priests.\u00a0 Marriage is not itself an impediment to priestly ordination in the Catholic Church.\u00a0 But it is the common practice of the Western Church to choose her priests from among men who have committed themselves to a life of celibacy.\u00a0 And one of the most important reasons is that the sacramental symbolism of the priest as Bridegroom to the Church<\/em> is then clearer.<\/p>\n

And this brings us to the second point of your question.\u00a0 The entire sacramental system of the Church, as John Paul II said, is based on marriage as the \u201cprimordial\u201d or \u201coriginal\u201d sacrament. Christ is the Bridegroom, the Church is the Bride, and the goal of every<\/em> sacrament is to unite the Bridegroom and the Bride so that the Bride might be filled with eternal life.\u00a0 This is what happens in a particular way in the Eucharist, the pinnacle of the priesthood: it\u2019s the consummation of a mystical marriage and, for that to happen, you have to have a Bridegroom and you have to have a Bride.\u00a0 Why do men train to be priests in a seminary<\/em>?\u00a0 Because they\u2019re learning how to give the spiritual seed<\/em>.\u00a0 This is where the sexual difference matters<\/em>: in the call to holy communion and new life.\u00a0 A man cannot be a mother, and a woman cannot be a father.\u00a0 Women are absolutely right to say, \u201cI can be a doctor, I can be a lawyer, I can be president of the USA.\u201d\u00a0 But priesthood is not a career choice.\u00a0 Priesthood is a call to fatherhood.<\/p>\n

JWK: <\/strong>What can the new Pope and the Church do to help bring Catholics back who were deeply offended and hurt by the clergy sex abuse scandals?<\/p>\n

CW:<\/strong> At the heart of the Gospel is the message that we encounter God\u2019s strength and God\u2019s mercy precisely in and through our weak, broken humanity.\u00a0 Not just within the Church, but within the culture at large right now, there is a particularly deep and particularly painful wound caused by a profound sexual confusion.\u00a0 We must have the courage to expose this dark and painful wound to the healing light of Christ.\u00a0 We must have the courage to talk about the effects of the sexual revolution on all of us \u2013 on our families, our children, our clergy, our institutions, our schools, our neighborhoods and our parishes.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m convinced we must take up a study of what the Holy Spirit has provided precisely to address this deep wound at this point of history: John Paul II\u2019s Theology of the Body. It is breathtaking and life-changing. And my guess is the new pope will understand that.<\/p>\n

Encourage one another and build each other up \u2013 <\/em>1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s today’s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture. New Pope, same issues. Pope Francis certainly has made an impressive entry onto the world stage and, from press accounts, is a man of great humility who seems like just the person to rejuvenate the Church with a fresh start. He certainly has the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,1257,4089,27,4088,2808,1,1015],"tags":[35,4091,4094,3858,4095,4092,4093,9050,3859,4090,3849],"class_list":["post-3368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-catholic-church","category-christianity","category-feminism","category-human-sexuality","category-pope-benedict-xvi","category-pope-francis","category-pope-john-paul-ii","category-uncategorized","category-vatican","tag-1-thessalonians-511","tag-birth-control","tag-cardinal-jorge-bergoglio-of-argentina","tag-fill-these-hearts-god","tag-first-south-american-leader-of-the-roman-catholic-church","tag-john-paul-ii","tag-pope-benedict","tag-pope-francis","tag-sex-and-the-universal-longing","tag-sexual-issues-facing-the-catholic-church","tag-theologian-christopher-west"],"yoast_head":"\nHow will a new Pope deal with the sexual issues facing the Catholic Church? 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He certainly has the…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2013\/03\/how-will-pope-francis-deal-with-the-sexual-issues-facing-the-catholic-church-theologian-christopher-west-offers-his-thoughts.html","og_site_name":"Faith, Media & Culture","article_published_time":"2013-03-14T00:05:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2013-03-14T08:28:10+00:00","author":"John W. 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Kennedy is the founder and Dir. of Development of The Creative Universe Entertainment\u2122, a media consultation and development company focusing on the creation, development and support of high-quality mainstream entertainment that upholds positive timeless values, including trust in God. Current projects include \"Bryant Park\" (an uplifting romantic-comedy) and \"Photo Finish\" (an award-winning sci-fi TV pilot). He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media & Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations & Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. 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