Because of our fallen and finite nature, we are all burdened with the impediment of concupiscence. But we are not victims or helpless creatures determined in our actions by the imperatives of biology.
To the chagrin of many Catholics, Pope Francis’s pontificate has tended to deemphasize the gravity of sexual sins. The Pope has stated on more than one occasion that sexual sins or “sins of the flesh” are far less serious than other sins, especially “sins of the spirit.” His remarks are problematic because virtues like chastity and temperance matter a great deal in Catholic teaching and theology. As the sexual revolution advances, will it now face little protest or resistance from its major adversary, the Catholic Church?
In a 2018 book-length interview, the Pope initially conveyed his convictions about the seriousness of sexual transgressions, stating:
There is a great danger for preachers, and it is that of condemning only the morality that is—pardon me—“below the belt.” But other sins that are more serious, hatred, envy, pride, vanity, killing another, taking a life . . . these are rarely mentioned.
He goes on to explain that “sins of the flesh are the lightest sins, because the flesh is weak.” On the other hand, the most dangerous sins are those of the spirit. “I’m talking about angelism,” the Pope explains. “Pride, vanity are sins of angelism.”
Pope Francis’s statements, however, are highly dubious.
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