SINGAPORE (UCAN) -- A Redemptorist priest and a Christian Brother discussed the effect of parents' relationship on children's well-being and sexuality, at a parenting conference in Singapore.

"The greatest gift parents can give to their children is to love each other as husband and wife," Father Peter Ryan, 71, told some 70 parents at the Aug. 17-Sept. 6 conference on "What Makes Children Grow."

"In a fast-paced society like Singapore, relationships can become very businesslike. So it is important for parents to make time for each other and their children," said the Redemptorist priest who was on a visit to Singapore.

Father Ryan, who is actively involved in the family life apostolate in Newcastle, Australia, said that children are strengthened when they see that their parents resolve and respond to conflict in the family in a united way.

In his talk on the emotional needs of husbands, wives and children at the conference at Revenue House organized by Singapore's Family Life Society (FLS), he called encouragement the "magic ingredient for children's growth."

He also stressed the need for couples to continue to court each other, which was echoed by Christian Brother Collin Wee in his talk on homosexuality.

"Homosexuality is not just in the air. It exists, let's face it," Brother Wee said, recounting an invitation to a wedding between two men.

Between the ages 2 and 4, children develop an attachment to the parent most visible in their life, he said, adding, "If the father does not get involved in his son's life, the child will form strong attachments to his mother."

If this attachment continues till adolescence, chances are that he will become a homosexual, continued Brother Wee, who described a homosexual as someone who adopts the mannerisms, roles and perspectives of the opposite sex.

Homosexuality may be transitory for some and permanent for others, he said, outlining biological states as one of the causes of irrevocable homosexuality.

Male homosexuals may have a higher level of the female hormone estrogen, while female homosexuals may have a higher level of the male hormone testosterone, said Brother Wee, who works at the FLS counseling center.

Transitory homosexuality may develop as a symptom of a certain illness, such as a husband going through a midlife crisis, or because of social milieu, such places where monosexual groupings exist like army camps or prisons, he added.

He also asked parents of irrevocable homosexuals not to condemn their children saying, "The Catholic Church does not condemn homosexuals but homosexual acts."

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