Pope John Paul II Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Views on sexuality === {{Main|Theology of the Body}} While taking a traditional position on human [[Human sexuality|sexuality]], maintaining the Catholic Church's moral opposition to homosexual acts, John Paul II asserted that people with homosexual inclinations possess the same inherent dignity and rights as others.<ref name="Smith2010" /> In his book ''Memory and Identity'', he referred to the "strong pressures" by the [[European Parliament]] to recognise homosexual unions as an alternative type of family, with the right to adopt children. In the book, as quoted by [[Reuters]], he wrote: "It is legitimate and necessary to ask oneself if this is not perhaps part of a new ideology of evil, more subtle and hidden, perhaps, intent upon exploiting human rights themselves against man and against the family."<ref name="Memory" />{{sfn|Pope John Paul II|2005|p=12}} In 1986, the Pope approved the release of a document from the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]] regarding ''Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons''. While not neglecting to comment on homosexuality and moral order, the letter issued multiple affirmations of the dignity of homosexual persons.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html| title = Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons Paragraphs 7, 10, 11, 13}}</ref> A 1997 study determined that of all the pope's public statements, only 3% addressed the issue of sexual morality.<ref name="The Truth of Catholicism" /> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page