Vatican and gay priests

The Vatican has published a new document outlining the new approach to homosexuality in candidates for ordination in the Roman Catholic Church. Father Jake has quite a nice discussion of this that’s worth reading. The interesting thing about this document, it seems to me, is not the prohibition on sexually active gay men becoming priests – that’s hardly a change and hardly a surprise. No, the change is that it is now to be regarded as a total barrier to becoming a priest merely to have “deep-seated homosexual tendencies”. In other words, if you’re gay, you cannot be a priest in the RCC.

Actually, it’s even worse than that. The document says that no one can be ordained as a priest if they even “support the so-called gay culture”. Which means nothing less than that anyone sympathetic to the cause of gay Christians can no longer be a priest in the RCC. What is truly shocking about this particular ban is that no justification for it is even attempted. There is an attempted rationale for blocking gay people from the priesthood (which appears to rest entirely on the statement that their sexual orientation “seriously obstructs them from properly relating to men and women”) but none for those who merely “support” the culture (whatever that might mean).

And possibly the strangest thing of all is that, although the document is dealing explicitly only with the act of ordination (i.e. who it will make priests in the future), the logic it puts forth is effectively saying that any priest in the RCC who has “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” is not, in fact, validly ordained. They don’t fulfil the requirements for the priesthood, aren’t fit to be priests and would be totally barred from ordination. How long can it be before someone points out the illogic of this position to someone in authority – and, when they do, which way will they jump? Will this document be repudiated, or will all gay priests be cast out? Or will they live with the contradiction?

Update
Thanks to Father Jake for passing on this funny link.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 10:26pm on 01 December 2005
Category: Faith, Musing

John,
Although I often defend the RC Church’s policies on social matters, I cannot here! It seems to me that the Vatican seeks to punish a sin of the heart. Something that gave me some insight on homosexuality, lust and God’s view of them both was a lecture by Josh Harris, author of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”. He recounted a story where he was leered at by some homosexual men and felt revolted by it. At that instant, he received a revelation: “God is as disgusted with your heterosexual lust as you are with their homosexual lust.”

I think the challenge comes back to the RC requirement for priestly celibacy. Celibacy is a gift, and those who have it likely do not battle lust (hetero or homo) like the rest of us without that gift. When something that is supposed to be a gift from God becomes compulsory for service, serious issues will arise.

Hammertime () (URL)
8:02pm on 02 December 2005