Catholic Views of Sexuality
The most comprehensive and brief form of professing and summarizing Catholic doctrine comes from the Nicene Creed, which was formed and written during the First Council of Nicaea which took place in AD 325. The Creed is worth quoting at length to summarize the Catholic faith, it states:
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one lord Jesus Christ, the Only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the power of the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come. Amen. (Council of Nicaea, AD 325)
Vatican City inside the city of Rome, Italy is where the Bishop of Rome, or the Holy Father, presides over the 1.2 billion Catholics in the world today. The largest concentration of Catholics reside in Central and South America, followed by Europe and the United States, with Africa seeing the largest growing population of Roman Catholics, according to a BBC report. Pope Francis is the acting Bishop of Rome with Pope emeritus Benedict XVI also residing within the Vatican walls, but having no papal authority. This is the top of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, followed by the College of Cardinals, the order of Catholic Bishops, ordained priests, deacons, and the laity. The College of Cardinals are designated with advising the Holy Father, diplomatic relations of Vatican City, forming catechesis, forming a conclave to elect a new Bishop of Rome when necessary, among many other duties. The Order of Bishops is entrusted to be the faithful shepherds of their home Church, or Diocese. They pray, care for, and guide the faithful that are entrusted to their leadership, celebrate Holy Mass and the Sacraments instituted by Christ and handed down through Apostolic Tradition. Deacons serve their parishes, priests, and Bishops by presiding over communion services, witnessing marriages, performing baptisms, catechesis, and the specific needs of the their local faith community. All in all, the clergy of the Catholic Church are ordained to be faithful servants of God the Father and to lead the faithful of the Church.
In summary, Catholics believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit that are the Holy Trinity, the "Godhead, Three in One". Daily Masses, Sacraments, and tasks are performed by all members of the Church from the Holy Father to the laity. An assembly of writings that make up all Church doctrine can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, any countries Conference of Catholic Bishops, and in the holy Bible (through approved translations).
In Bishop Thomas J. Olmstead's apostolic exhortation to his Diocese of Phoenix, he stated that men and women worked as compliments and not as competitors. Bishop Olmstead says this compliment "is key to understanding how human persons image God." (Into the Breach, pg. 4) He also goes onto cite Pope Francis' remarks on the seemingly prevailing "gender theory" that misinterprets human sexuality and seeks to tear down the God given dignity of the human person. It is commonly misidentified and taken out of context the role that men and women have in the Church today. The specific issue is the ordination of only men or a male only sanctuary during the celebration of Holy Mass. This is a politicized issue that seeks to destroy the authority and credibility of the Church. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1577. "Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of Bishops, with whom priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord Himself. For this reason for the ordination of women is not possible.
The above thought is a statement on how the Church