The Catholic Church has issued — or at least formally sanctioned — some new guidelines on sex. And, unlike the common expectation (even among a number of Catholics), they don’t just say that Sex is Bad. Indeed, just the opposite.
The controversial book, It’s A Sin Not To Do It, written by two theologians, promises the reader answers to “everything you wanted to know about sex but the Church (almost) never dared to tell you”.
In their attempt to galvanise the faithful, Roberto Beretta and Elisabetta Broli, who write regularly for the Italian Bishops’ magazine, Avvenire, have written one of the raciest works ever to deal with the Church and sex. Bullet points on the jacket cover underline the central message: “Sex? God invented it. Original sin? Sex has nothing to do with it. Without sex there is no real marriage.”
[…] The pages of It’s A Sin Not To Do It, however, feature a frank interview with Cardinal Ersilio Tonini in which he emphasises that “the Church is not an enemy of the flesh”. He argues that Vatican doctrine has always defended the “nobility of sexuality”, which is regarded by the Church as a “treasure” of humanity.
Another chapter likely to raise eyebrows unearths theological justification for post-coital masturbation for women who fail to achieve orgasm during intercourse.
Still, despite some extensions of doctrine, the book doesn’t actually break any new ground, theologically. It is certainly a change in emphasis, though.
Beretta told The Telegraph: “The Church is not against sex. Something needed to be done about the cliches and stereotypes. The Church is not only about forbidding the use of contraception and warning against the sins of the flesh.
“In view of the trivialisation of sex and the rise of impotence and frigidity in consequence, as well as the increasing number of only children, it is better for the Church to promote sex in the right circumstances, instead of just focusing on prohibitions and perversions.”
In other words, it’s emphasizing the place where the Church thinks sex is good, not just the places where it thinks it’s bad.
Even so, it’s refreshing, even if part of the shift in focus is in response to some worldly worries, especially for European Catholics.
The Vatican has regularly expressed its concerns over Italy’s low birth rate, which stands at fewer than nine births per thousand inhabitants. Two years ago, in an address to the Italian parliament, Pope John Paul described the declining rate as “a serious threat that weighs on the future of the country”.
And I suppose they’re more likely to get that birth rate back up if they emphasize that sex can be nifty and virtuous, and not just imply that folks should Lie Back and Think of St Peter’s …
(via BoingBoing)
Well of course the Catholic Church is pro-sex, anti-contraception. More sex (without contraception) = more catholics.
That seems to be the way it usually works, yes. 🙂