Fr. Louis Birabaluge
On sexuality and love: a catholic point of view
A book on Love and sexuality![1] Not an easy topic to deal with between a churchman and a lay young lady. But it is what has been done between bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard and Thérèse Hargot, both Catholics from France. The book follows the Synod of bishops that took place in Rome in October 2018, on the theme: "Young people, faith and vocational discernment". It fills a void and breaks a taboo: sexuality. Indeed, during the preparatory work of the Synod, in 2017, a participant was surprised to see that all the lectures on young people focused on young people and political commitment, youth and social commitment, youth and migrants... But not a word about sexuality, friendship, romantic relationships, not a single intervention on the theme of love. (pp. 38). That participant is one of the authors of this book, namely Therese Hargot.
And the question of the young participant: "is it not entirely aberrant of the religion of the incarnation to ignore the question of the body and the affectivity, especially since the objective of the Synod is to accompany the young people to discern their vocation?" But the silence observed about sexuality goes beyond the Synod of bishops, notes the young lady. Because, outdoors, a high dignitary of the Church told Therese Hargot that the organizers were afraid to talk about sexuality that could revive tensions between progressives and conservatives (pp. 39). Yet, said the girl, being afraid to talk about sexuality does not solve any problems. Wearing a religious cassock does not mean we no longer have sex! She added.
The omission of the Synod and the silence of the Church on the question of sexuality are at the origin of this book. It intends to stimulate reflections and offer unprecedented answers to people in search of a healthy and fulfilled affective life. The conviction that animates the authors of this book is that beyond the fear of the Church of talking about sexuality due to her clumps and the abuses committed by some clergy members of the catholic church, the teaching on sexuality proposed by Catholic spirituality is adapted to the challenges and problems of our society related to love and sexuality(p. 13).
According to the authors, Pope John Paul II, in his Theology of the body; taken up in Amoris Laetitia by Pope Francis, offers indispensable tools to think about sexuality in a beautiful and satisfying way than what is shown up by modern media. For it is about educating oneself to love and self-giving. And this is the challenge faced by married couples, people consecrated in celibacy, gays... for a fulfilling and true human sexuality; as long as God is placed in the Centre. It is about learning to love as God loves. Hence the reference to the words of St. Augustine: love and what you want, do it: the subtitle of the book.
The authors of the exchanges published in this book are two: a sexologist, Thérèse Hargot, a young French woman who had participated in the work of the Synod. She was the one who alerted the organizers to the seriousness of the omission of the theme of sexuality. The other is a Churchman, a Bishop, Emmanuel Gobilliard. That a Bishop talks about sex and love with a young girl and does it with an open heart is already breaking the taboo. But for both, they do it in order to offer assistance to the victims of a badly lived sexuality: pedophiles, those who are surveying, divorced couples, unmarried and consecrated people but frustrated...
The book addresses several topics: sexuality, celibacy, encounter, online dating sites, marriage, procreation and birth control, homosexuality, pleasure, masturbation, pedophilia... So many hot themes of our time. These themes are not only useful for the laity. They are for all who are eager to grow up in freedom and wisdom to love more (p. 52).
Regarding the importance of the theme of sexuality in formation of future priests or religious, the book recalls that Pope Francis wanted the training programs in the seminary to be reviewed and that human, affective, relational and sexual maturation be taken into account more seriously. For the authors, realism obliged: celibacy does not make consecrated angels or people without sex. Celibacy is rather a struggle and realizing it is already a sign of maturity. Hence the call of the authors: that formation and discernment help future priests, religious men and women to assume celibacy as a free and joyful choice, a commitment of the whole person to the service of God and others (pp. 91).
Read from an African context where topics on sexuality are quite absent, the book is a help for those involved in pastoral ministry or those just willing to understand and live happily their love and sexuality. It is also a nice book to read for those who wish to learn afresh about the beauty of the catholic doctrine on love and sexuality! Thus the book is addressed to a large public beyond a mere catholic circle.
Let us point out that in the number 11 of the Cahiers published last year by the xaverian Centre for African Studies on the Young people, Faith and Vocational discernment, there are two contributions that deal with the same topic as the one found in this book. It is the article of the couple Francine MAPENDO and Blaise ZIRIMWABAGOBO: Young people and marriage: what pastoral? (pp. 105-113) and that of Jean Damascene BWIZA: Educating young people about responsible sexuality (pp. 115-122).
[1] The book is published in French with the title: Mgr Emmanuel Gobilliard, Thérèse Hargot. Entretien avec Arthur Herlin, Aime et ce que tu veux, fais-le. Regards croisés sur l’Eglise et la sexualité, Paris, Albin Michel, 2018, 245p. To be translated as Love and what you want, do it. Crossed perspectives on the Church and sexuality, Paris, Albin Michel, 2018, 245p; by Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard, Thérèse Hargot. Interview with Arthur Herlin.
On sexuality and love: a catholic point of view
A book on Love and sexuality![1] Not an easy topic to deal with between a churchman and a lay young lady. But it is what has been done between bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard and Thérèse Hargot, both Catholics from France. The book follows the Synod of bishops that took place in Rome in October 2018, on the theme: "Young people, faith and vocational discernment". It fills a void and breaks a taboo: sexuality. Indeed, during the preparatory work of the Synod, in 2017, a participant was surprised to see that all the lectures on young people focused on young people and political commitment, youth and social commitment, youth and migrants... But not a word about sexuality, friendship, romantic relationships, not a single intervention on the theme of love. (pp. 38). That participant is one of the authors of this book, namely Therese Hargot.
And the question of the young participant: "is it not entirely aberrant of the religion of the incarnation to ignore the question of the body and the affectivity, especially since the objective of the Synod is to accompany the young people to discern their vocation?" But the silence observed about sexuality goes beyond the Synod of bishops, notes the young lady. Because, outdoors, a high dignitary of the Church told Therese Hargot that the organizers were afraid to talk about sexuality that could revive tensions between progressives and conservatives (pp. 39). Yet, said the girl, being afraid to talk about sexuality does not solve any problems. Wearing a religious cassock does not mean we no longer have sex! She added.
The omission of the Synod and the silence of the Church on the question of sexuality are at the origin of this book. It intends to stimulate reflections and offer unprecedented answers to people in search of a healthy and fulfilled affective life. The conviction that animates the authors of this book is that beyond the fear of the Church of talking about sexuality due to her clumps and the abuses committed by some clergy members of the catholic church, the teaching on sexuality proposed by Catholic spirituality is adapted to the challenges and problems of our society related to love and sexuality(p. 13).
According to the authors, Pope John Paul II, in his Theology of the body; taken up in Amoris Laetitia by Pope Francis, offers indispensable tools to think about sexuality in a beautiful and satisfying way than what is shown up by modern media. For it is about educating oneself to love and self-giving. And this is the challenge faced by married couples, people consecrated in celibacy, gays... for a fulfilling and true human sexuality; as long as God is placed in the Centre. It is about learning to love as God loves. Hence the reference to the words of St. Augustine: love and what you want, do it: the subtitle of the book.
The authors of the exchanges published in this book are two: a sexologist, Thérèse Hargot, a young French woman who had participated in the work of the Synod. She was the one who alerted the organizers to the seriousness of the omission of the theme of sexuality. The other is a Churchman, a Bishop, Emmanuel Gobilliard. That a Bishop talks about sex and love with a young girl and does it with an open heart is already breaking the taboo. But for both, they do it in order to offer assistance to the victims of a badly lived sexuality: pedophiles, those who are surveying, divorced couples, unmarried and consecrated people but frustrated...
The book addresses several topics: sexuality, celibacy, encounter, online dating sites, marriage, procreation and birth control, homosexuality, pleasure, masturbation, pedophilia... So many hot themes of our time. These themes are not only useful for the laity. They are for all who are eager to grow up in freedom and wisdom to love more (p. 52).
Regarding the importance of the theme of sexuality in formation of future priests or religious, the book recalls that Pope Francis wanted the training programs in the seminary to be reviewed and that human, affective, relational and sexual maturation be taken into account more seriously. For the authors, realism obliged: celibacy does not make consecrated angels or people without sex. Celibacy is rather a struggle and realizing it is already a sign of maturity. Hence the call of the authors: that formation and discernment help future priests, religious men and women to assume celibacy as a free and joyful choice, a commitment of the whole person to the service of God and others (pp. 91).
Read from an African context where topics on sexuality are quite absent, the book is a help for those involved in pastoral ministry or those just willing to understand and live happily their love and sexuality. It is also a nice book to read for those who wish to learn afresh about the beauty of the catholic doctrine on love and sexuality! Thus the book is addressed to a large public beyond a mere catholic circle.
Let us point out that in the number 11 of the Cahiers published last year by the xaverian Centre for African Studies on the Young people, Faith and Vocational discernment, there are two contributions that deal with the same topic as the one found in this book. It is the article of the couple Francine MAPENDO and Blaise ZIRIMWABAGOBO: Young people and marriage: what pastoral? (pp. 105-113) and that of Jean Damascene BWIZA: Educating young people about responsible sexuality (pp. 115-122).
[1] The book is published in French with the title: Mgr Emmanuel Gobilliard, Thérèse Hargot. Entretien avec Arthur Herlin, Aime et ce que tu veux, fais-le. Regards croisés sur l’Eglise et la sexualité, Paris, Albin Michel, 2018, 245p. To be translated as Love and what you want, do it. Crossed perspectives on the Church and sexuality, Paris, Albin Michel, 2018, 245p; by Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard, Thérèse Hargot. Interview with Arthur Herlin.