Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Cyril Buhayan Villareal as the new bishop of Kalibo in the central Philippines, a decision that has prompted renewed discussion among Catholics about fidelity to the Church’s moral teaching.
According to LifeSiteNews, the appointment was made on January 24. Attention has since focused on Villareal’s earlier academic work in moral theology, particularly a 2011 thesis submitted to the University of Vienna that examined marriage and sexuality. In that work, Villareal stated that he wished to present “a new way of looking at sexual morality through the Trinitarian love and not anymore through the natural law perspective,” according to LifeSiteNews.
In his thesis, Villareal contrasted what he called the Church’s magisterial teaching with the lived experience of the faithful, writing that “the laity clamor about the difficulty of what the Church imposes on them,” and asking, “why can’t the Church change its teaching on sexuality?” LifeSiteNews reports that he argued social and historical changes — including higher infant survival rates and broader participation of women in the workforce — had altered the context in which moral questions about marriage and procreation are considered.
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LifeSiteNews notes that Villareal structured his thesis in two parts, presenting first what he described as “the orthodox teachings of the Church on marriage and sexuality,” and then outlining “an opposite view from that which the Church upholds,” with the stated goal of reaching “a more integrated view of sexuality and marriage.”
The article highlights that this approach draws on proportionalist moral theology, which evaluates actions by weighing anticipated goods and evils rather than by judging acts according to intrinsic moral norms. This method stands in contrast to Catholic teaching, which holds that certain acts are intrinsically evil regardless of intention or circumstances. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “there are acts which, in and of themselves, independently of circumstances and intentions, are always gravely illicit” (CCC 1756), according to LifeSiteNews.
LifeSiteNews further points to the Church’s teaching on contraception, articulated in Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI, which affirms that “each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life,” and rejects arguments that appeal to choosing a “lesser evil” to justify contraceptive acts.
Villareal’s appointment comes amid broader discussion within the Catholic world about recent episcopal nominations. LifeSiteNews reports that several other recent appointments have also drawn attention because of past theological statements seen by critics as being in tension with Tradition.
As Villareal prepares to assume leadership of the Diocese of Kalibo, Catholics are watching closely, with many emphasizing the importance of clarity and continuity in teaching on marriage, sexuality, and moral theology within the life of the Church.
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