The Vicar of God

Pope Benedict XVI is relentless in his war against homosexuality. As though it represents a villainously-planned and deliberately sinister assault against the Church. The good pope paints homosexuality as a ruinous road toward human extinction. An offence against humanity that must be rigidly battled. He doesn't, he declares, have anything much against homosexuals. No, it's their sexuality that bothers him. Why must they practise their version of sex?

It does, after all, go against the grain. God gave life to man and then He created woman to complement man. Odd that God hadn't bethought himself to create woman first, and on second thought, bring man to life. In the order that the birth of the genders were said to have been created, one might imagine some confusion; after all, isn't it the gender that actually gives birth to humankind to be slightly elevated in regard to the enabler?

Regardless, Pope Benedict forgives homosexuals their truly unfortunate choice of gender identification, a confused and lamentable one, a curse on humanity. Let them but cease and desist and all would be well. Somehow, it doesn't appear to have occurred to him that when men brought into holy orders and swearing to a life of celibacy in celebration and awe of their God, then surreptitiously prey on parishioners, women and children, something is fundamentally wrong.

If men serving a higher purpose in giving over their lives to God, are incapable of stifling their primitive animal urges, why should ordinary men whose orientation is toward other men offer to sacrifice their sexuality to a sterile existence, merely to please this vicar of God? But he is adamant; as things stand, blurring the distinction between the genders is offensive to God.

Sex between a male and a female of the species has the distinct purpose of producing new life, new generations. Thus are we formed and designed and engendered. To do otherwise is to present an offence to the Holy Spirit. Pope Benedict equates transsexuality and homosexuality with the eventual destruction of humankind, a disease that afflicts the world. It may be a slight aberration of nature, but a danger against the longevity of humankind?

Animal behaviourists have pointed out their observations that gender confusion exists in animals other than humans. How peculiar is that? Not particularly, it would appear. Perhaps it's possible that all animals have the capacity of bi-sexuality. Any old port in a storm. Or the need for close physical contact to produce not merely physical pleasure, but a serene assurance of having, belonging, being.

While it's undeniable that nature has constructed humankind in and for deliberately dissimilar forms and purposes, endowing us with attributes reflective of gender, differentiating between male and female for the purpose of reproduction, there always have been and always will be, some confusions within nature.

It's not mere role playing, but biological identity and destiny; occasionally the hard-wiring gets unplugged. Live with it. Love others as you would have them respect you.