Chastity leads to true freedom, seminar told

Sydney
28 April 2002

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Chastity leads to true freedom, seminar told

At the seminar, from left: Rebecca Dundov, 16; Ana Magarinos, 16; Carolina Glavinich, 23; Natalie Magarinos, 15; Laura Veas, 22, from Mary’s Lillies of Light, Mt Schoenstatt

By Marilyn Kerjean

Sex is no longer a hot topic in society today. But the ethics of sex and science is.

That’s why 144 people, mostly young adults, gave up a fine autumn Saturday to hear about the Catholic Church’s teaching on human sexuality and the light it throws on debates about technology, reproduction and health.

Bioethicist Fr Anthony Fisher OP and Dr Anna Krohn, of Melbourne’s John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family, joined Fr Gerard Gleeson SJ, of the Catholic Institute of Sydney and the Plunkett Centre for Ethics in Health Care, as keynote speakers for a seminar entitled Sexuality in the new Millennium.

Fr Gleeson spoke about developments in IVF, stem-cell research and cloning, and the ethical and theo logical questions they pose.

He said technology may assist, but should not replace a couple’s sexual intercourse.

The aim should be that “a child’s origin is an act of marital love”.

Fr Fisher explained the philosophical and theological foundations for the Church’s understanding of the human person and its respect for human life and sexuality.

He said it was difficult to present the Christian message about sex to a society that saw it as merely a kind of recreation with no intrinsic meaning.

But it would get easier as people who were hurt and disillusioned by the social and personal effects of the sexual revolution looked for something different.

Chastity, often mistakenly perceived as repression or denial, was better thought of as sexual integration that led to true freedom, he said.

Dr Anna Krohn, in an overview of Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body, spoke briefly on chastity also.

“Not only Catholicism but all the great and ancient philosophies grasped the idea of chastity as a balanced way of life,” she said.

Fr Peter Quin, parish priest of North Sydney, Lavender Bay and Kirribilli, shared his experience of successfully supporting couples through their engagements and marriages.

He said the divorce rate of people he had married was around three per cent, compared with more than 40 per cent in the general population - an indication of the power of the sacrament and married vocation.

Workshops were conducted in conjunction with the seminar, which was held at Our Lady of Lebanon parish, Harris Park.

Ana Magarinos, 16, said she found a workshops on sex in marriage, conducted by Francine and Byron Pirola of Celebrate Love, particularly interesting.

Bernadette Devine, 29, said she thought the seminar “presented a positive image of sex that’s a challenge to people in the Church as well as to society”.

The seminar and workshops were organised by a committee of young Catholic adults and Natural Family Planning Services Sydney.