Again, by confession. A person who withholds this reality about their -- as you say -- "orientation" is already indicating a problem both psychologically and morally, in my opinion.
A person who confesses to homosexuality by thought, plan or activity (one involves the other for most, over the course of time) is not qualified for the Priesthood, and I agree with that.
You know, sin is an act of being, to some, literally, "possessed" by evil. Homosexuality is still considered by most to be an aberration of nature, an abomination to God, as per scripture, and simply making promises to never engage in sexual contact with males does not UNDO or NOT MAKE a homosexual a homosexual. It's a case of the person being not in a state of grace adequate for the Priesthood, according to how I read the Pope's instruction.
I agree with him, by the way, although I realize that tests the boundaries of many current social memes. I don't disregard individuals based upon who they claim to be but I also as others do have every right to believe as I do and that is that Scripture is the word of God, and that God's faithful to what He says. He says it's abominable behavior, and so I respect what God says.
The Priesthood in the Catholic church is a representation among the faithful, followers of Christ, of Christ with His church. If you allow an evil to be held in a place of holiness, you defile Christ, God, the Holy Spirit.
You can cross the street from a Catholic Church and find yourself immersed in popular culture that will defy almost all, if not all, that the Church instructs and requires, and for those who seek existence through popular culture instead of Christ, that's their choice. But for the faithful who seek Christ, we are still free as Americans and elsewhere as persons to believe as we do in what we do. And that is that homosexuality is a sin, evil, to be blunt here.
I will read the comments on this thread later, no time at the moment. Here's a tiny little .02 added to your much deeper comments for Melas:
For a man to experience attraction to women is normal and natural; (and vice versa). Some people have a harder time with controlling the sexual urge than others.
Most normal people at one time or another might imagine or desire to hurt someone else - hit, strangle, kick or whatever. Some people even fantasize about murder. Some people have a hard time controlling their urge to hurt others. Some people would never be able to hurt others.
Those who cannot control their urges, have a very hard time controlling them, or who have urges that are beyond the norm - such as homosexual desires, should not be priests. Priests and others who lead, guide, and teach should only know their stuff (whichever field they are in) but should be role models and of high character.
Since same sex desires are by their very nature disordered, no one who is experiencing them should be a priest, just as no one who struggles with the desire to steal (a closet kleptomaniac, if you will), or a desire to murder, or a difficult to control desire to commit adultery.
Being a priest is not for everyone.
We should hold heterosexuals to the same standard.
In other words, if a man even thinks sexually about women, he should be barred from the priesthood.
You know what Jesus said about lust (toward women). It's akin to committing adultery in one's heart.