(I first wrote about this topic on my blog on September 25. Because that post was in Chinese, I’m rewriting it in English for my English-speaking readers.)

In recent years, the issue of same-sex marriage has begun to gain traction in Hong Kong. For example, in 2021 ViuTV released its own BL (Boys’ Love) series “Ossan’s Love”. At first, I was unwilling to watch it because it involves homosexuality, but I eventually treated it as a comedy and ended up watching an episode or two.

As a Roman Catholic, I oppose same-sex marriage as a way of defending the sacraments.

The topic of homosexuality has always existed and cannot be avoided. In the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching, the thinking is clear: homosexual acts are grave sins (see the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery”). Yet we increasingly see clergy presiding over marriages for same-sex couples in various places around the world, especially among reformist circles.

The Catholic Church has always guarded the seven sacraments entrusted by our Lord Jesus, including the Sacrament of Matrimony. At the heart of Matrimony are the union of husband and wife and the procreation of children. This is the Catholic understanding of the purpose of marriage: through the visible union of man and woman and the begetting of new life, God’s invisible love is reflected. It also symbolizes the Church as the Bride being “espoused” to Christ the Bridegroom. This is a mystery — sacramental in nature.

ince it is a sacrament, marriage, like the Mass and Confession, is something to be believed and observed, and a means by which God bestows grace; it is not subject to alteration. The Mass cannot be presided over by laypeople; confession cannot be replaced by absolution from a nun; likewise, marriage cannot be redefined to permit same-sex unions.

For Catholics, the sacraments are the Church’s highest forms of worship, gifts from God to the whole Church—visible rites that lead us to God, just as Jesus Christ took on human flesh and became the visible image of God. The sacraments follow this same logic.

Therefore, like Scripture, the sacraments are what Catholics should most cherish and must defend when they face accusations or attacks. A Catholic may not be zealous for a particular form of personal devotion, but cannot be indifferent to the sacraments; otherwise, there would be no difference from being a Protestant.

Why same-sex marriage cannot be admitted to the Sacrament of Matrimony will not be elaborated here; please refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Pastorally, however, we must show respect and understanding to people with same-sex attraction, while not endorsing a “gay lifestyle.”

“Gay” refers to a homosexual lifestyle, including same-sex marriage and same-sex sexual activity. “Homosexual” refers to having a same-sex attraction or inclination, but it does not necessarily mean one engages in such acts.

Having a homosexual inclination in itself is certainly not a grave sin. Because of original sin, humanity has become “disordered”: sin entered the world and gave us various sinful inclinations. A grave sin requires knowingly and freely consenting to temptation; merely having an inclination is not itself a grave sin. Whether one is homosexual or heterosexual, everyone has other sinful tendencies. What God truly abhors is a sinful way of life, not the person. If one is willing to live a life pleasing to God—chastity—then a person with same-sex attraction can, by overcoming personal difficulties, draw closer to God.

A person’s same-sex attraction is often not something chosen knowingly and freely; environmental factors may play a role. For such people, they did not freely choose their sexual orientation. This becomes their cross: they cannot marry; they cannot procreate. Indeed, each of us has our weaknesses and our own crosses. In this respect, those with same-sex attraction and those with opposite-sex attraction are equal: both are called to chastity; both are forbidden from promiscuity; both are forbidden from masturbation.

Therefore, someone with same-sex attraction who does not live a gay lifestyle, who is willing to be chaste and to carry his or her cross, should not be excluded from the Church. Among those with same-sex attraction there are people who strive for chastity, and among heterosexuals there are those who are promiscuous. The key is not the inclination but the way of life.

Catholics should not discriminate against them, just as Christ does not discriminate against sinners. We should ensure they are not treated unfairly or looked down upon because of their sexual orientation. However, when it comes to the sacramental realm, we must acknowledge that marriage is only permitted as a union between a man and a woman.

Spouses ought to protect one another, and the Church — the Bride of Christ — should do everything to defend the sanctity of the sacraments belonging to Christ, the Bridegroom.

The late Bishop Lucas Li Jingfeng of the Diocese of Fengxiang in mainland China, once said:

“In our time, the faith is in crisis: atheistic ideology, heresies and cults, liberalism, hedonism, moral decay, divorce and remarriage, same-sex marriage, sexual liberation, and so on — these are the realities of our era and the challenges the Church must face. What should we do? We must listen to the ‘Spirit of Truth’ promised by Jesus to guide us and walk the path the Apostles walked.”