‘Pope Norman’, Griffin’s Report and Roman Catholic Reactions to Homosexual Law Reform in England and Wales, 1954–1971

Abstract

Alana Harris (‘“Pope Norman”, Griffin’s Report and Roman Catholic Reactions to Homosexual Law Reform in England and Wales, 1954–1971’) explores progressive Catholic reactions to homosexual law reform from the time of the publication of the Wolfenden Report (1957) through to the passing of the Sexual Offences Act (1967). Alongside exploration of the separation of sin and crime advocated by a Catholic committee on homosexuality, the chapter evaluates the theologically informed, jurisprudential writings of the prominent Catholic politician and polemist, Norman St-John Stevas. Both case studies illustrate the growing capacity and confidence of an educated, middle-class Catholic elite to formulate new theological positions and interrogate traditional teachings on love and sexuality.

I would like to thank Matthew Grimley and Dominic Janes for their insightful reflections and detailed comments on a draft of this paper, and participants at the ‘Histories of Religion and Sexuality’ Conference, University of Nottingham, 24 April 2017, for feedback on an earlier version of this paper.