A Nigerian Catholic priest, Reverend Father Kelvin Ugwu, has ignited an online debate following his recent public clarification on what the Catholic Church classifies as sins against the Sixth Commandment.
In a widely shared Facebook post, the cleric outlined the Church's official doctrine regarding 'Thou shall not commit adultery.' He revealed that the theological definition of this commandment extends far beyond marital infidelity.
According to Fr. Ugwu, the Catholic Church formally categorizes the following practices as sins under the Sixth Commandment: Masturbation, Lust, Contraceptives, and Assisted Reproductive Technology, including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
The post has drawn mixed reactions from social media users, with some supporting the Church's stance and others questioning its relevance to modern social practices.
Commandment Number Six: 'Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery'
This commandment is rooted in holiness, chastity, fidelity, and the proper use of human sexuality according to God's design. The Church does not reduce this commandment merely to adultery between married people. It covers the entire moral life of human sexuality: thoughts, desires, actions, relationships, marriage, modesty, dignity of the body, and respect for persons.
List of Sins Under This Commandment
- Lust: The disordered desire for sexual pleasure, including fantasizing sexually about someone, deliberately entertaining impure thoughts, or reducing another person to an object for pleasure.
- Masturbation: The deliberate stimulation of one's sexual organs for sexual pleasure.
- Pornography: The displaying or viewing of sexual acts to produce sexual excitement.
- Fornication: Sexual intercourse between unmarried persons. The Church teaches that sexual union belongs properly within marriage because sex signifies total self-giving, lifelong fidelity, and openness to children.
- Adultery: Sexual relations where at least one person is married to someone else.
- Divorce and Remarriage: The Church distinguishes between civil divorce and sacramental marriage. A valid sacramental marriage is considered indissoluble. If you are sacramentally married, and it is valid, even if you get divorced from the court for your civil marriage, any sexual relationship outside the person you are validly married to sacramentally is considered adulterous.
- Contraception: Artificial actions intended to prevent conception during sexual intercourse, including pills, sterilization, and condoms.
- Homosexual Acts: Sexual acts between persons of the same sex are considered contrary to natural law and a disorder.
- Rape: Forced sexual violation of another person.
- Incest: Sexual relations between close relatives where marriage is forbidden.
- Sexual Abuse of Minors: The Church teaches this is a grave evil and crime, including molestation, exploitation, grooming, and coercion.
- Prostitution: The selling of sexual acts for money or compensation.
- Seduction and Scandal: The Church condemns intentionally leading another person into sexual sin, abuse of authority for sexual purposes, manipulation, and exploitative relationships. 'Scandal' in Catholic theology means encouraging others into sin.
- Immodesty: Behavior, dress, speech, or actions that intentionally provoke sexual temptation or degrade dignity.
- Voyeurism and Sexual Exploitation: These include spying on naked persons, secret recordings, revenge pornography, coercive sexual behavior, and trafficking.
- Artificial Reproductive Practices: The Church is against IVF, sperm donation, surrogacy, and embryo destruction.
