Vatican to allow celibate gay men in Italy to become priests

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The Vatican relaxed its guidelines on admitting gay men to Italian seminaries, allowing them to train as long as they remain celibate, reported T24.

The norms were approved by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy and promulgated by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, head of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, on January 1, according to RPP Noticias. They were debated behind closed doors last May and became public when a remark by Pope Francis was leaked. The guidelines stated that gay priests must adhere to celibacy, matching the requirement for heterosexual priests.

The new directives advised that a candidate’s entire personality be considered, including homosexual inclinations. A 68-page document referred to people with homosexual tendencies studying in seminaries or disclosing this orientation and advised candidates not to openly demonstrate their sexuality, said T24. After the Italian Bishops’ Conference announced the guidelines, Pope Francis’s statement in January 2023 that “Being homosexual is not a crime,” but that homosexuals could not be clergy, drew attention, said T24. A 2016 statement indicated that men with deep-seated homosexual tendencies could not become priests.

During clarifications on admission criteria, “The aim of priestly formation in the affective-sexual realm is the ability to welcome celibacy as a gift, to choose freely, and to live this responsibly,” said the Italian Bishops’ Conference, according to RPP Noticias. The guidelines added that “the Church, while deeply respecting the people concerned, cannot accept into seminaries and holy orders those who lead a homosexual lifestyle, reveal rooted homosexual tendencies, or support what is called the gay culture,” reported RPP Noticias. The conference also stated, that “when referring to homosexual inclinations, it is appropriate not to reduce the ability to discern solely to this aspect during the formation process.”

In June, Pope Francis used a derogatory term in Italian for gay men during a gathering with bishops, saying there were too many “deviants” and that “there was already a lot of homosexuality” in the seminaries, reported RPP Noticias. A few days later, the Holy See apologized, noting that the pontiff “never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms” and apologized to those who felt hurt. The pope reiterated the 2005 instruction from the Clergy dicastery, affirmed in 2016, stating that those who practice homosexuality, have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, or support gay culture cannot be admitted to seminaries. A commitment to celibacy remained the main requirement for admission, reported RPP Noticias.

The guidelines stated that candidates must never have been involved in abuse. They allowed for the use of psychology and psychotherapy in priestly formation and permitted women to contribute to the process, offering a female perspective.

Even though it’s a step in the right direction, there’s much in that article that’s pretty damn offensive. They have a LONG way to go.

“Deviants.”

“Homosexual lifestyle.”

“The guidelines stated that candidates must never have been involved in abuse.”

They “permitted women to contribute to the process.”

JFC. I’m not sure why a gay man (or anyone else) would want to become a priest for such an organization. Hopefully, the next pope will know better than to use homophobic terminology.

T24 noted that the Vatican’s stance upheld celibacy for all clergy, including those with homosexual inclinations, while instructing candidates not to demonstrate their orientation openly in seminaries.

Well arent the straight ones supposed to be celibate to?

The guidelines say that seminary directors should consider sexual orientation as only one aspect of a candidate’s personality.

They do not change the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching that “homosexual tendencies” are “intrinsically disordered,” and that men with “deep-seated” gay tendencies should not become priests. But they clarify that if a candidate remains chaste, his sexual orientation should not disqualify him from entering the priesthood.

The Catholic church has struggled for years with the contradiction that the priesthood has long been a refuge for gay men, while church teaching rejects same-sex relations.

Bishops in other countries where homosexuality is regularly condemned are not likely to consider guidelines similar to those of the Italian bishops.

[…]

The thorniness of the issue became clear last year, when reports emerged that Pope Francis had used an anti-gay slur when responding to Italian bishops at a conference in May about admitting gay men into seminaries.

In his remarks, Francis said that there was already too much gayness in Catholic seminaries, using a pejorative to describe it, according to bishops who attended the conference. The Vatican later apologized.

In June, the pope was again accused of repeating an anti-gay slur during a meeting with priests in Rome.

The repeated use of the slur shocked many Catholics who had embraced Francis’ mostly inclusive message urging the church to be more welcoming to members of the L.G.B.T.Q. community. He has met often with gay-rights activists, and in 2023 he decided to allow priests to bless same-sex couples — but not bless their unions.

Father Martin, who met with Francis after the episodes last year, later shared a post on social media that said, “With his permission to share this, the Holy Father said he has known many good, holy and celibate seminarians and priests with homosexual tendencies.”

Yet, Francis has repeatedly expressed concern that gay candidates for priesthood can end up having relationships and living what he described as double lives.

Yes

At least he isn't allowing women to become priests. You still need a pecker to distribute the communion wafers and listen to confessions.

Anyone up for a bit of comedy?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35L2OD6GhjM