When the 2005 Vatican document on homosexuals and the priesthood came out, there was some debate over what Rome meant by its terms--such as "deep-seated" homosexuality, and whether the church wanted to bar even homosexuals capable of living a chaste life. When the follow-up document on psychological testing of seminarians came out this week, as posted earlier, it also addressed the point but did not resolve it.
But CNS' John Thavis has a blog post on the press conference introducing this week's document and in the transcription of Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski's remarks, it seems pretty definitive: no gay, no how.
One lingering doubt about the homosexuality document was whether a homosexually oriented man who was nevertheless committed to celibacy could be ordained a priest. At Thursday's press conference, Cardinal Grocholewski gave a rather forceful "no," and here are the essential parts of his answer:"The candidate does not necessarily have to practice homosexuality (to be excluded.) He can even be without sin. But if he has this deeply seated tendency, he cannot be admitted to priestly ministry precisely because of the nature of the priesthood, in which a spiritual paternity is carried out. Here we are not talking about whether he commits sins, but whether this deeply rooted tendency remains."
Cardinal Grocholewski was then asked why, if a man with strong heterosexual tendencies but who is celibate can be ordained, the same could not be true of a man with homosexual tendencies? His answer:
"Because it's not simply a question of observing celibacy as such. In this case, it would be a heterosexual tendency, a normal tendency. In a certain sense, when we ask why Christ reserved the priesthood to men, we speak of this spiritual paternity, and maintain that homosexuality is a type of deviation, a type of irregularity, as explained in two documents of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Therefore it is a type of wound in the exercise of the priesthood, in forming relations with others. And precisely for this reason we say that something isn't right in the psyche of such a man. We don't simply talk about the ability to abstain from these kinds of relations."
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I disagree with only one point: a chaste homosexual man should be able to be a priest. But it is undoubtedly a disordered state; whether that disorder impedes someone from properly serving God is a different situation altogether.
But assessment of candidates for the priesthood and consequences for the men who abused the countless boys during the past several decades was long overdue.
It appears that Cardinal Grocholewski sees gay men as inferior and less than fully human. I think this is his personal opinion and not the belief of most Catholics. If the Church truly believes that gays are not fully human and therefore unfit to be priests then there is no room in the priesthood and no room in the Church for gay people. I known that some Catholics believe that gays are disordered and defective but again I don't think most Catholics believe this. I believe that Our Lord loves all His children.
Talk about removing the log from ones own eye! What if come the ressurection, Jesus is GAY? Or jesus comes and has stern words with the churches that dissallow/discriminate against gays?
JC did run around with 12 dudes. Who knows? Could have been gay?
I'd like to call your readers' attention to a novel just published on the subject of homosexuality and priests available at the above link and on GoogleBooks. THE HILLS OF TRIUMPH. The problem is serious enough for good thoughtful literature not only news.
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