What is one to make of this news report?
"Pope Benedict XVI spoke out Monday against homosexual behavior, calling it a violation of the natural order. In an address to the Vatican hierarchy, the pope called for an ''ecology of man'' to protect man from ''the destruction of himself.'' He added, ''The rain forests deserve our protection, but man as a creature indeed deserves no less.'' The Vatican opposes same-sex marriage and considers homosexual acts sinful." - NY Times, Dec. 23, 2008.
It is perfectly understandable, from an institutional point of view, that the Roman Catholic Church is alarmed at the spread of gay rights in the world. As more and more countries decriminalize homosexual conduct, extend legal recognition to same-sex partners, and ban sexual orientation discrimination, the Roman Catholic Church loses one of its main devices for recruiting new priests. In an intensely homophobic society, the priesthood, with its purported ideal of the celibate life lived in a unisex environment, has served for centuries as a sheltering environment for self-hating homosexual Catholic men, fleeing societal and family pressures to marry and have children. Speculation that a high percentage of the Catholic priesthood consists of repressed homosexuals seems confirmed by anecdotal evidence whenever gay men get together and talk about sexual experiences with priests. The sharp decline in new enlistees for the priesthood in societies that have become tolerant of homosexuality is entirely logical. If a young gay Catholic man sees a way to live openly as gay in society, to have a partner, to have a career, what need is there to flee to the sheltering arms of the allegedly celibate priesthood? I think the Pope's position is entirely pragmatic. Rainforests can die and the Church is not really affected (or so this benighted anti-environmentalist seems to believe), but as gay rights advance, the business model of the Church collapses. As CEO of the organization, he must continuously speak out against social trends that undermine the Church's business model.
I am not contending that the Pope is not speaking out of religious conviction. But I am suggesting that leaders of the church in recent decades since the modern gay rights movement has taken root in the Western Democracies have made this a high visibility item on their agenda at a time when so much else in the world calls out to be addressed. Where is the passionate objection to capital punishment? Where is the passionate objection to despoiling the earth? Where is the passionate championing of the needs of the poor for health care, nutrition, sanitation, etc.? Why is the Church obsessed with fetuses and homosexuals? Of course, there are religious doctrinal reasons backing up the Pope's statements, but as an entirely pragmatic matter, if Catholic women can restrict their reproductive activity without need to restrict their sex lives and Catholic men can live a happy life as gays, the Church's business model collapses.