From the lover's bed to the infernal flames : a study on the Church's impact on gay persons' view of their own sexual relationships

Abstract

'From the lover's bed to the infernal flames' is a study of how gay people living or wanting to live sexual relationships feel in Roman Catholic Malta. The feelings, needs and problems of gay and lesbian people are examined. Another aim of this dissertation is to examine the attitudes, beliefs, feelings and knowledge of religious persons representing the Church. A sample of fourteen gay and lesbian people and five religious persons participated in this study through in-depth interviews. The results highlighted that the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church may instil feelings of fear, guilt and damnation in the person with regard to his/her own orientation. However, it seems that such feelings do not inhibit gays and lesbians from living sexual relationships. Another result highlighted was that the religious people interviewed seem to be more open to gays and lesbians than the other ministers of the Church referred to by gays and lesbians themselves. The results also show how some ministers of the Church and also some members of society may misinterpret the official teachings of the Church. These results provided various guidelines for practice, as well as recommendations so that the social worker may work towards bridging the gay and lesbian community with the Church.