Secularisation and intimate relationships in a Catholic community

Is Malta a resistant niche

Bibliographic Data

ID18980245
AuthorsAngele Deguara (0000-0001-9310-1334, University of Malta, Malta, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume67
Issue3
Pages372-388
Publication date2020-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Compass (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-7686 • E-ISSN: 1461-7404
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0037768620920173
OpenAlexW3034696186
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited29

This study explores secularisation in a traditionally Catholic community through the analysis of intimate relationships which fall outside Catholic morality. It gives an indication of how individuals in contemporary society perceive Church teachings on sexuality in terms of the relationship choices they make. The research draws upon 2 years of fieldwork carried out with Drachma LGBTI, a space where lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) people of faith may explore and deepen their spirituality. I also conducted 35 in-depth interviews with LGBT and non-LGBT individuals whose lifestyle runs counter to official Church teachings on sexuality, despite their Catholic faith that is, who are in a same-sex relationship or else divorced, cohabiting or in a civil marriage. The study revealed that while informants may disregard Church teachings on matters of sexuality, their reconstructed sexual morality is still embedded within a Catholic framework

Cohabitation · Faith · Human sexuality · Lesbian · Morality · Political science · Politics · Secularism · Secularization · Sociology · Spirituality · Theology · Transgender · Gender Studies · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious Freedom and Discrimination · Religious studies

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