[Romulus]

The 1961 Document, "Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders" (as promulgated by the Vatican's Sacred Congregation for Religious on February 2, 1961) speaks directly to the question of homosexuality in the priesthood, as does Pope Paul VI's encyclical Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (“On Priestly Celibacy”).

[DBeers]

• Some Considerations Concerning the Response to Legislative Proposals on Non-discrimination of Homosexual Persons

  II. Applications

  10. "Sexual orientation" does not constitute a quality comparable to race, ethnic background, etc. in respect to non-discrimination. Unlike these, homosexual orientation is an objective disorder (cf. "Letter," No. 3) and evokes moral concern.

  11. There are areas in which it is not unjust discrimination to take sexual orientation into account, for example, in the placement of children for adoption or foster care, in employment of teachers or athletic coaches, and in military recruitment.

  13. Including "homosexual orientation" among the considerations on the basis of which it is illegal to discriminate can easily lead to regarding homosexuality as a positive source of human rights, for example, in respect to so-called affirmative action or preferential treatment in hiring practices. This is all the more deleterious since there is no right to homosexuality (cf. No. 10) which therefore should not form the basis for judicial claims. The passage from the recognition of homosexuality as a factor on which basis it is illegal to discriminate can easily lead, if not automatically, to the legislative protection and promotion of homosexuality. A person's homosexuality would be invoked in opposition to alleged discrimination, and thus the exercise of rights would be defended precisely via the affirmation of the homosexual condition instead of in terms of a violation of basic human rights.

• Religiosorum Institutio

  30. Those To Be Excluded; Practical Directives

  Advantage to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers.

  Additionally, for any interested -a Vatican statement more recent than "Religiosorum Institutio" the 1961 document. Relevant article I read a while ago:

  Clear Vatican Statement against Ordination of Homosexuals

  -excerpt:

  VATICAN, Dec 5, 02 (CWNews.com) -- A leading Vatican official has confirmed the Church's position that men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained.

  In a letter dated May 16, 2002, Cardinal Jorge Medina Estevez-- who was, at the time, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship-- said: "Ordination to the diaconate or priesthood of persons with homosexual tendencies is absolutely unadvisable and imprudent, and from a pastoral point of view, extremely risky." The letter by Cardinal Medina Estevez, which was a response to a query from a bishop, has now been published in the November-December edition of a bulletin put out by the Congregation for Divine Worship.

[sitetest]

Dear Romulus,

Yes, I believed I mentioned that the 1961 document existed.

I was merely noting that this wasn't part of Canon Law, and that the document has been roundly ignored for some decades without drawing any rebuke of any bishop, as far as I know, from the Holy Father.

One might question the seriousness of a rule promulgated nearly 45 years ago, and never enforced.

I'm unaware of Pope Paul's encyclical. Can you post the relevant section? I'd appreciate it.


Thanks,


sitetest