The Catholic Church’s position on sexual sin is pretty basic and simple. Sexual relations, of all kinds, are forbidden, except between an adult married couple: one biological male and one biological female.1 This puts a whole lot of popular sexual activity outside of what the Catholic Church permits as lawful.
The following sexual activities are examples of sexual sin according to Catholic teaching: lust, voyeurism, masturbation, contraception, fornication, homosexuality, polygamy, polyamory, pederasty, pedophilia, rape, sodomy, bestiality, etc. All of these sexual activities are considered unlawful, according to Catholic teaching, regardless of what is allowed by civil law, requiring confession and repentance. The degree of sin can vary, whether mortal or venial, depending on the type and circumstances. However, these activities are always considered sinful.
That being said, the temptation to commit sexual sin (of any kind) is not a sin, and temptation (in and of itself) is not sinful. We know this because Jesus Christ was tempted to sin,2 even though he never committed any sin.3 Thus, temptation and sin are two different things. Wanting to do something is not the same as doing it. The sin is in the doing, not the wanting, but we should examine why we want things that are sinful. More often than not, passing desires to commit sin (temptations) are rooted in misbeliefs, lies or sources outside ourselves. So merely having a passing desire to commit a sexual sin (sexual temptation) does not constitute sin (in itself) according to Catholic teaching. When it comes to sexual sin, the action is what counts, not the temptation.
If, however, one is subjected to constant temptation, one should try to discover the reasons why. Sometimes our own actions or misbeliefs can make us more vulnerable to unnecessary trials.
Lust, for example, is a sin committed primarily in the mind. The Catechism defines it as “disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure” that is rooted in pleasure in itself, for pleasure’s sake, without the unitive or procreative purposes it was designed for.4 Lust is rooted in the misbelief that sexual activity is primarily for personal entertainment, and really doesn’t have much meaning beyond that. When this misbelief is corrected, the temptation to lust is greatly reduced.
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2337, 2350-2363
- Mark 1:13; Luke 4:1-13
- Hebrews 4:15
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2351
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