{"id":62937,"date":"2026-07-03T09:34:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:34:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/?p=62937"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:44:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T07:44:39","slug":"leandro-attraction-and-sex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/en\/foco\/leandro-atraccion-sexo\/","title":{"rendered":"Leandro doesn't let his attraction to the same sex define him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid Pride celebrations, and surrounded by a social discourse that often presents freedom as \u2018always doing whatever one wants,\u2019 Leandro\u2019s testimony offers a different perspective. He does not seek to impose his views on anyone, but rather to share the path he has chosen to follow as a Catholic who experiences same-sex attraction (SSA) and has decided to live in accordance with the Church\u2019s teaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His story is not that of someone who claims the path is easy. Nor is it that of someone who claims to have answered all the questions. Rather, it is the story of a reconciliation built on knowledge, faith, and the conviction that a person\u2019s identity runs much deeper than their inclinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding as a Path to Reconciliation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Leandro, the starting point was realizing that reconciling his faith with his same-sex attraction could only begin with understanding. \u00abYou can\u2019t have faith in what you don\u2019t know,\u00bb he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, he was unaware of what the Church actually taught about this issue. It was around the age of 25 or 26 that he learned about the apostolate Courage<\/a><\/em> and attended one of their meetings for the first time. There he found an explanation that would change the way he understood himself: \u201cGod loves the sinner infinitely, but never the sin.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From that perspective, Leandro explains that his reconciliation was made possible by the realization that \u201cfeeling AMS is not a sin, but by acting in accordance with AMS, we distance ourselves from God and His divine plan.\u201d \u201cIn recent years, Church teachings such as St. John Paul II\u2019s Theology of the Body have given meaning and motivation to this reconciliation,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Strength of a Spiritual Life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked where he finds the strength to persevere, Leandro singles out three sources of support in particular: \u201cdevotion to certain saints, the presence of his guardian angel, and the Eucharist.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For him, faith is not merely about accepting moral standards, but about maintaining a living relationship with God that sustains him on his daily journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His experience within parish communities has not always been the same. He acknowledges that there are places where he has felt welcome and others where he has not felt quite as welcome. However, he avoids letting that experience become a source of resentment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00abThe Church is imperfect,\u00bb he says, \u201cand I believe that the most important thing is to learn along the way that it is up to us to welcome and value others with the love we receive from God Himself.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When faced with rejection, choose empathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leandro doesn't deny that there are comments or attitudes of rejection, but, as he says, \u201cthey don't keep me up at night.\u201d \u00abThere are more comments and attitudes of support than of rejection,\u00bb he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He even believes that some negative reactions can become an opportunity to develop greater empathy, since many stem from ignorance or fear\u2014feelings that, he acknowledges, we all experience at some point when faced with something we don\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who are going through the same struggle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leandro believes that fewer and fewer young people are experiencing an internal conflict between their sexual orientation and their faith. \u201cToday\u2019s world and society have worked to eliminate that conflict through moral relativism,\u201d he says. \u201cBut if I were to meet someone in that situation, I would tell them that the teaching of the Catholic Church is the only one that truly gives meaning to both faith and sexual orientation.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his view, the Church\u2019s teaching does not seek to deny or repress human sexuality, but rather to lead it toward its fullness: \u201cIt is generally thought that the Church advocates castration or a ban on sexual orientation, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is the Church\u2019s teaching that brings human sexuality\u2014including sexual orientation\u2014to its fullness.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his conversation, he refers to the documentary The Third Way (La tercera v\u00eda)<\/em>, produced by Blackstone Films, which serves as a good introduction to understanding this vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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