There can be no doubt that the promotion of sex just for pleasure helps to foster the "culture" of death and its lethal consequences. Sex outside of marriage, pornography, homosexual relations, inmoral sex "education", contraception, sterilization and abortion; are all deadly fruits of the same tree : hedonism. Those that help that tree grow by nourishing it with the waters of "the worship of sex for pleasure", sooner or later will have to accept a large part of the responsability for its poisonous fruits.

I am not denying here that sexual pleasure has a legitimate and important role in marriage, which is the only moral use of that God-given gift. Within that context, sex is legitimate when the values of marital love and openness to life are respected and the couple follows the teachings of the Catholic Church, where it concerns their sexuality. However, the selfish persuit of sexual pleasure as the primary objective, leads to the above mentioned evils.

Surely, Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC) is among the organizations whose objective is precisely to promote "the worship of sex for pleasure", and to help its addicts to evade the consequences. HLI recently printed a very informative, well documented book on CFFC and its activities, written by Brian Clowes and called "Catholics for a Free Choice Exposed".*

The Autumn 2001 issue of CFFC's magazine "Conscience", is almost totally dedicated to the promotion of the condom. (1) In spite of the fact that CFFC admits in an article in the same issue that "Condoms, like most contraceptives, are not 100% foolproof" (2), it launches a fierce attack against the Catholic Church throughout said issue, for opposing the promotion of the condom as "prevention" against AIDS. CFFC even criticizes HLI for defending and upholding the doctrine of the Catholic Church where it concerns the use of the condom. Yet those who promote the condom as "safe sex" and give its users a false security which leads them to be promiscuous, will have to accept the moral responsability when the condom fails to protect them from sexually transmitted diseases or from AIDS.

In the same issue of CFFC's magazine, there is an article written by a gay activist in which he accuses the Vatican of "venomous intolerance"; of "a doctrine of prejudice and discrimination" that "causes some homosexuals to commit suicide and legitimates the intolerance that motivates anti-gay violence"; and of approving the execution of homosexuals by giving it "the full blessing of the Catholic Church (3). The author also affirms that "The Vatican is the ideological inheritor of centuries of homophobia", by endorsing "persecutions" because it opposes homosexual marriages, "gay sex education", "safer sex advice" and "adoption of children by same-sex couples"(4). He calls the Vatican "unrepentant and heartless" and claims that the Vatican is "still crucifying queers."(5) It is obvious that CFFC has now "come out of the closet" where it concerns its promotion of homosexual rights (as it has in favor of contraception and abortion), even though homosexual sex involves a greater risk of contracting AIDS. (6) CFFC's Hispanic branches in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Spain and Mexico called Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir (CDD), all take the same stand.

While CDD leaders claim to be Catholics, like their U.S. counterparts they work to change the centuries old Catholic Church teachings instituted by Jesus Christ himself : the Church's founder. They promote the legalization of abortion, using millions of dollars from American anti-life/family foundations, sex for pleasure and even homosexuality. The firm committment of CDD's leaders where it concerns the promotion of lesbianism, is evident throughout the September 2001 issue of its Spanish language magazine "Conciencia Latinoamericana", from which I will now quote.

1. "Aim for a pleasurable sexuality free of guilt..." (7) That is, the "right" to have sex under any circumstances, without worrying about whether or not it is inmoral and without feeling any guilt; thus, without accepting any responsability.

2. "Embrace all sexualities as something good...", which "demands building and defending rights for all women, adolescents, homosexuals and lesbians..."; as well as for those that "do not want" to have children, and "for all persons, regardless of their age, race, class or religion." (8). "Embracing" all sexualities as beneficial , involves approval of all sexual relations, including the ones that take place between persons of the same sex as something "good", which has to be promoted and protected. In the same article, the author affirms that the "right...to pleasure and to enjoy erotism", as well as "the free and autonomous right to follow sexual orientations", should be enforced. (9) If all sexualities are "good" and people should "follow" their "sexual orientations", should sex between children and adults or even with animals also be acceptable? After all, these are also "sexualities" or "sexual orientations", even though they are much more aberrant.

In another article in the same issue of Conciencia Latinoamericana, Dr. Cristina Grela (CDD's founder in Uruguay and ex-coordinator for Latin America), states that divorced women should give themselves "the permission to have new feelings and to abandon mandatory hetereosexual love..." (l0) She adds : "If we feel an attraction for the first time to a woman or we discover that we love her, let us allow ourselves to feel it and to know that this is common and that many people experience it." (11) The only problem that this "attraction" presents according to Dr. Grela, is how "sad (is)....the judgement that society, patriarchal customs and the Church make where it concerns these sincere and affectionate relations." (12)

In the article "Ciudadania Sexual" (Sexual Citizenship), CDD's collaboration with a gay activist group in Bolivia called Masque V is obvious (13). The claim is made that "the identity, orientation, option and sexual practices are unavoidable dimensions of individual and collective life" and "as such should be explicitely included where it concerns the rights of citizens that the state promises to guarantee." (14) Among these "rights" of the "sexual citizenship" that are being demanded, are the rights for homosexuals to marry and to adopt children. (15)

It is obvious that Latin American homosexuals (at least Bolivia's), like their U.S. counterparts, have made common cause with abortion promoters. The document issued by Masque in which it demands the above mentioned "rights", includes the promotion of induced abortions. (16)

Again we can see the strong committment that CDD has made where it concerns promoting the "rights" of homosexuals, in the article written by Maria del Pilar Sanchez (CDD Mexico), in which she affirms that "The love of a woman for a man is no more natural and demanding in biological terms than the love of a woman for another woman". She adds that "The erotic response that is available to human beings has vast possibilities and very diverse potentialities" (17); that the "heirarchy" of the Catholic Church "does not defend people's happiness"; and that "lesbians and homosexuals can express their sexuality in comformity with the teachings of Jesus Christ, which give the priority to love over the law..." (18) The author then proposes that "all citizens" should be informed "of the different options that they can enjoy...starting with basic education". (19) That is, that Hispanic children should be given information in favor of homosexuality, like unfortunately, many American children receive in some public schools in the U.S.

Let us pray for these brothers and sisters who have erred so greatly, that God may enlighten them so they can repent and be forgiven by Him.

Mrs.Llaguno is the executive director of Vida Humana Internacional.

*Vida Humana Internacional (HLI's Hispanic Division), has abundant information on CFFC as well as on its funders, in its Spanish language website (www.vidahumana.org). It can be found at : http://www.vidahumana.org/vidafam/anticath/disidentes_index.html.