Kiwi reminds synod of goodness of sexuality in marriage

Friday, October 23rd, 2015

A statement from a New Zealander on the goodness of sexual love in marriage is being considered for inclusion in the family synod’s final document.

In a blog post on the New Zealand Catholic bishops’ website, Dr John Kleinsman wrote of how the synod’s working document made little mention of this goodness.

He told a bishop at the synod on the family of this and also mentioned that there had been little mention of the topic in the synod interventions thus far.

This bishop subsequently made a “free intervention” to the synod attendees on this topic.

Dr Kleinsman, who is director of the Nathaniel Centre, the Catholic bioethics agency in New Zealand, then prepared a 300-word statement on the goodness of sexuality within marriage.

He presented this “modus” to the small group at the synod of which he is a member.

The text noted that in the giving of a married couple to each other in sexual loving, their love is nourished and “they become open to the possibility and miracle of new life”.

Dr Kleinsman painted a picture of married loving and life-giving which transcends the relationship of the couple, with implications for the wider community and the world.

The final two paragraphs read: “At a time when the rich Christian vision of sex and sexuality has increasingly been replaced by a much narrower and impoverished understanding for many, Christian couples are called to witness more than ever to the beauty, joy and richness of human sexuality and the proper place of sexual loving in a committed, exclusive and permanent relationship.”

“The sexual expression of love within marriage thus has the potential to establish itself as a special expression of Christian evangelisation.”

In the blog post, Dr Kleinsman wrote that this statement was discussed in his small group.

It was accepted by the group and it was sent “forward for consideration by the writing party working on the final synod document”.

He said the final document of the synod “will be all the poorer if it does not in some way affirm the goodness of sexuality that goes back to the Creation story in Genesis – and God saw it was good”.

Dr Kleinsman is married with three adult children.

Sources