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- author, Edison Vega
- scroll, From Bled (Slovenia) to BBC News Brazil
A document issued by the Church at the end of November recognizes the existence of a “unified goal of sexual life,” stressing that sexual acts “are not limited to ensuring procreation, but rather contribute to enriching and strengthening the unique and exclusive union and sense of mutual belonging.”
The doctrinal memorandum issued with the approval of Pope Leo 14 was signed by the Department for the Doctrine of the Faith – the current name of the former Holy Office Tribunal – and is a Catholic defense of the monogamous union between man and woman. But between the lines he presents this understanding that the sexual act has a function that goes beyond the generation of offspring.
The text, published only in Italian, states that “in recent decades” due to “the context of postmodern consumer individualism,” many problems have arisen due to “an excessive and uncontrolled search for sex or a simple denial of the procreative purpose of sex.”
At the same time, the note notes, there has also been an “explicit denial of the unitary purpose of sexuality and marriage itself” and encourages “a desire for emotional exchange, through same-sex relations, but also through dialogue and cooperation.”
The document says that “the integrated vision of marital love” is a vision that “does not deny its fertility.” But “sexual union, as a form of expression of conjugal love,” although “it must naturally remain open to the communication of life,” need not have “an explicit purpose for every sexual act” for this purpose.
In this sense, the text presents three possibilities. The first is the sexual life of couples who cannot have children. The second is that “the couple is not consciously seeking a particular sexual act as a means of procreation.” Finally, the third clause talks about respecting “natural periods of infertility” – “this can help not only in regulating birth rates, but also in choosing the most appropriate moments to welcome a new life,” the document notes.
The memorandum stresses that “spouses can benefit from these periods as a manifestation of affection and to maintain mutual fidelity.” “By doing this, they are showing absolutely true and sincere love,” he says.
From abstinence to pleasure
Such a position is not at all unprecedented in Catholic documents. But they feature prominently in this text, which is full of quotations that transcend the circles at the top of Catholicism, as they include, among other things, love verses by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), excerpts from the writings of the Italian poet Eugenio Montale (1896-1981), and thoughts on the ethics of marriage left by the Danish existentialist philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. (1813-1855) — who, by the way, was also a Christian theologian.
Theologian Railson Araujo, a researcher at the Pontifical Catholic University in São Paulo, told BBC News Brazil: “Although this is nothing new, there is actually an evolution in the thinking of the Church as an institution regarding sexuality, which goes beyond this dimension of procreation.”
He recalls that in ancient manuals, such as those that guided confessing priests in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there were many recommendations to abstain from sexual practices, even within the framework of marriage.
The prevailing view of sex was “something wrong and dirty,” Araujo recalls. The theologian recalls that methods asking couples not to have sex during periods such as Lent or even on Sundays were common.
“From the twentieth century onwards, and especially after the Second Vatican Council (which took place between 1962 and 1965), this idea began to be reconsidered.
The current text of Catechism of the Catholic ChurchFor example, published in 1992, it also addresses the so-called “unitary character” of sexual relations within marriage.
“The unitary function of sex, as well as the procreative function, is traditional in Church teachings,” highlights religious sociologist Francisco Borba Ribeiro Neto, former coordinator of the Center for Faith and Culture of the PUC-SP, for BBC News Brazil.
It is noteworthy that this position was repeated in the teachings of Pope John Paul II (1920-2005). “(He) insisted that Christian couples should acknowledge this aspect of sexuality,” he noted.
He points out that “what happened was a moral reduction of the Christian message, which contradicts even the integrated concept of Christian morality.” “The present document only indicates something that everyone who cares about the Catholic faith should know and recognize.”
The Catechism addresses this issue in paragraphs 2360, 2361 and 2362. Someone says: “In marriage, the physical relationship between spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion.”
“The acts by which spouses are intimately and chastely united are honest and generous, performed in an authentically human manner, and express and nourish the mutual devotion by which they enrich each other with joy and gratitude,” the set of rules notes. “Sex is a source of joy and pleasure.”
However, the book highlights that such relationships should always be driven by love.
Ribeiro Neto states that, according to Church doctrine, “pleasure without love is like an orgasm,” which can be “wonderful, but it ends in the bitterness of loneliness.”
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“In sexual relations, the Church is not against pleasure, but against pleasure without love. Because sex, in its fullness, is a celebration of love,” says the sociologist.
“Therefore, there is nothing preventing Catholics from having sex for pleasure. The problem is sex without love,” he explains. “Perhaps the biggest cultural problem with sexuality is sex without responsible love. When I give or receive pleasure from another person, I become responsible for him, because sexual pleasure is the donation of the intimacy of the being. When we want to have pleasure and love without responsibility, we fail, because there is no true love without responsibility to the other.”
For historian and theologian Gerson Leite de Moraes, a professor at the University of Presbyteriana McKenzie, the most important thing to stress in the memo is that the church “does not shy away from discussion,” and approaches sex from a contemporary perspective.
In a conversation with BBC News Brazil, he recalls that in the past there was an emphasis on so-called “marital chastity”, but sexual life within marriage was never denied.
He adds: “It seems to me that there is uniformity in the Church’s view of the importance of marriage.”
Eroticism in the Bible
Author of the book Love is not for salein which she analyzes references to sexual interactions in the Bible, linguist Ana Bezerra Felicio points out that in almost all cases where this occurs, it is either related to children and family or is in a negative context.
She told BBC News Brazil: “There are violations, rape and abhorrent practices, which show the harshest truth of human life.” Felicio is a member of the Brazilian Association of Christians in Science.
As for the expert, the exception is in the book Song of songsIt is part of the Old Testament.
It is an erotic poem that celebrates sexual encounter. There is no consensus on the authorship of the text, but most experts believe that the verses were written between 450 BC and 330 BC.
“Without it, there would be no positive connotation of sex in the Bible,” highlights Felicio. “It glorifies the beauty of bodies, bodies that desire each other.”
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In the book Sensual Kisses
Behind the scenes in the Holy See, there is a nuance worth highlighting. The text was issued by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, the former Archbishop of La Plata, who took charge of the department two years ago.
In addition to being a citizen, Fernández was a close friend of Pope Francis (1936-2025) and Ghost writer From several documents signed by him. But throughout his career in Argentina, the religious man witnessed controversial events specifically linked to sexual morality.
He is the author of the book Sanam con tu pucca – el arte de besarIt encourages couples to be careful when practicing sexy kisses.
When he was appointed head of the Department for the Doctrine of the Faith, the oldest of the 16 bodies that operate within the Vatican’s spheres of authority, more conservative sectors of the church criticized Francis’ decision. In the Catholic daily newspaper La Croix International, Vatican Robert Mickens described the appointment as a “bombshell” for traditionalists.
Interestingly, between 2009 and 2011, under the papacy of Benedict XVI (1927-2022), Fernandez was interrogated by the same body he heads today. They saw him as the author of “modern” sermons and asked for clarifications.
In his career, the current cardinal has always shown greater openness to welcoming the LBTQIA+ population and so-called second couples – topics that tend to generate controversy due to the lack of consensus between different sectors of Catholicism.
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Birth control pills, condoms and other methods?
Whenever there is a signal from the Church to recognize the value of sex as pleasure for couples, expectations arise in the more progressive sectors of Catholicism of a historic change in the institution regarding contraception.
For experts, it is still too early to imagine a change at this point. The Catholic Church does not accept the use of contraceptives that are considered artificial. The recommendation is that couples who do not want children rely on strategies such as the Billings ovulation method.
“There are parishes that offer courses for those who want to know more about this topic,” recalls theologian Araujo.
However, historian and theologian Moraes acknowledges that traditionally “the church changes slowly” in some situations. Any update usually takes a long time. “The important thing is that the topics are up for discussion,” he says. “The church must continue to evaluate issues according to its values.”