Today in a seminar with Dr. Adriaan van Klinken (Leeds) on religion, sexuality, and nationalism in Zambia, the position of the Catholic Church on homosexuality came up. Van Klinken noted that compared to the other Christian groups, the Catholic Church presented a nuanced position, that while homosexual acts are sinful, homosexuals are to be treated with dignity and not to be discriminated against.
Apparently, in Zambia, this makes the Catholic Church look very ‘pro-gay’ and ‘modern’ (used pejoratively). Now, as far as I know, this is the official position of the Catholic Church worldwide, but, say in the United States, the church is often considered ‘anti-gay’ and ‘backwards’ on such issues. Thus we have a fascinating case where the same official doctrines are viewed radically differently in two different contexts.
(I am aware that this ignores the difference between ‘official’ doctrines and how individuals within the church view/act on these issues. This is a thorny issue that seems to crop up often in these posts…)
