Information Report on the plenary meeting of the Lithuanian Bishops’ Conference of 15-17 May 2007

An increased propagation of homosexual relations and the specific way of life of persons of such orientation was discussed at the meeting. In its documents, the Church has underlined time and again that those who are sexually attracted to people of the same sex should be respected and the Church has spoken out against their discrimination. On the other hand, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, homosexual inclination is objectively disordered and people with such inclinations have a vocation to be celibate. The practice of homosexuality is a grave sin against celibacy. This is why the Church opposes the attempts to institutionalize homosexual relations as one of the norms of social life. Various public events organized to present homosexual relations as an equal alternative to love and marriage between man and woman seriously compromise the rights of other citizens to raise their children according to their beliefs and protect them from a path in life that is contrary and very dangerous to their moral beliefs. It is the Bishops’ wish that the dignity of each person should be protected; the Bishops hope, however, that the state funds and resources will not be used for the propagation of homosexual culture and will be set aside for the strengthening of families and moral education of the youth.