Faithfulness to Church Teaching
Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) represents the Catholic faith through its programming and image. An individual’s first experience with Catholicism may be through interaction with YCP; thus, YCP must consistently represent authentic faithfulness to Catholic Doctrine. In order to preserve this commitment, those who speak on behalf of and/or publicly represent YCP are required to indicate their fidelity to several basic tenets of Church teaching. YCP has chosen these particular tenets because they tend to come up as points of confusion among Catholics and non-Catholics alike, but this list is not exhaustive and should not be misconstrued as replacing the Catholic Creed or Catechism. Both the Church and culture must have clarity about the Catholic position on the following topics:
1) Eucharist: The Holy Eucharist is the real Presence of Jesus Christ.
2) Chastity: All people are called to live a life of chastity, though the expression of chastity looks different depending on one’s state of life. God gave the gift of sexual intercourse exclusively for men and women as a fruit of the bond of Holy Matrimony; unmarried persons are called to live out chastity through abstinence. Because marriage is reserved for one man and one woman, individuals who experience same-sex attraction are called to a life of chastity through abstinence from same-sex activity, which is contrary to the natural order.
3) Contraception: God designed conjugal love between a husband and wife as the complete gift of self; God’s plan for married love excludes the use of contraceptives. One of the ends of marriage is openness to children. A married couple’s rejection of artificial contraception represents their openness to God’s will regarding their fertility.
4) Sanctity of Human Life: All human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.
5) Holy Orders: Only a baptized man can validly receive sacred ordination.