Sexual ethics vary among Catholic students

By Jessica Coblentz

Do Catholic students hold similar positions on sexual ethics?

I asked each Catholic student this question during the anonymous interviews I conducted among undergraduates for my research project as a Hackworth Fellow.

"Yes, I'd hope so," replied one young woman. "I think we vary across the board; we're a very diverse group of students."

The contradiction of this Catholic's response may seem strange, but it was not uncommon among students. Their answers revealed what I interpret to be a complex ambivalence toward the church's teachings on sexual ethics and how they are or are not manifest in the lives of Catholic students at Santa Clara.

Students who tended to side with the Vatican's views of sexual morality justified the differences of opinion by making distinctions within the overall Catholic student body.

"Someone will say they are Catholic, but do they really believe it themselves?" questioned one man. "You have to distinguish between cultural Catholics and practicing Catholics," explained another.

Their message was ultimately consistent: Self-identifying as Catholic does not make one Catholic. Rather, true Catholics are those who abide by the Vatican's official rules.

While my research affirmed students' observations about the diversity of Santa Clara Catholics, my findings have led me to question the notion of true Catholic identity presented by more traditional students in response to this diversity. Is obedience to the Vatican's moral teachings really the ultimate mark of Catholic identity?

I spoke with a large number of self-identified Catholics who disagreed with the Vatican's official position on certain sexual ethics. In particular, I found that the vast majority of our Catholic students disagreed with the church's stance on homosexuality and birth control. According to the mentality of the more traditional Catholic students at Santa Clara, the dissenting views on these issues indicate that they are not true Catholics.

This assumption, however, overlooks the fact that many of these students justified their positions against Catholic teaching with their interpretation of Catholic teaching. For instance, students emphasized the innate dignity of every person when explaining their support of practicing homosexuals.

They have discovered a way to understand themselves as genuinely Catholic, despite the fact that they live in conflict with some of the church's official teachings.

Which group is truly Catholic in this debate? Those who side with the Vatican's teaching, or those who employ Catholic teaching to justify alternative views on sexual ethics?

Contrary to what more traditional students asserted, I would like to suggest that both groups of students have the potential to be understood as Catholic.

When seeking to understand the Catholic position on sexual ethics, one is misled if he or she will not settle for anything but a single, absolute position. Such an understanding denies the rich complexity of the church's doctrine, as well as the diversity of the tradition.

Jessica Coblentz is a Hackworth Fellow and religious studies and women and gender studies double major.