Church Views On 'gays’ (Press, 27 March 1985)

On 27 March 1985, the Most Rev. Edward Gaines, the Catholic Bishop of Hamilton, addressed approximately 100 attendees in Rotorua regarding the establishment of a Hamilton Diocesan Commission of the Family. During his address, he highlighted that there is no unified Catholic stance on whether homosexual activity should be illegal or legal; however, he emphasised that the Church does hold a consistent position on the immorality of homosexual acts. Bishop Gaines stressed the importance of showing charity to all individuals without discrimination. He expressed concerns about the potential misconceptions among the youth and the uninformed, indicating that legalisation of homosexual acts might lead them to believe such actions are morally acceptable. Bishop Gaines argued for a clear distinction between immorality and criminality, insisting that while the law may not always align with Catholic moral teachings due to New Zealand's pluralistic society, it should still protect the vulnerable members of the community. He cautioned against groups advocating that all consensual sexual activities should be deemed morally acceptable, stating that this viewpoint is incompatible with Catholic beliefs. The bishop encouraged Catholics, along with other citizens, to voice their opinions on proposed legislation aimed at decriminalising homosexual activity between consenting males aged over 16. In conclusion, Bishop Gaines reiterated that the Catholic Church’s teachings categorically hold that deliberate homosexual acts are deemed objectively and gravely immoral.

The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact

The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand