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For your distribution lists.

Thanks Sink, another good report from John Allen.

As to content, the official said the document would to some extent repeat the norms contained in a 1961 instruction of the Congregation for Religious, titled Religiosorum institution, which stated: "Those affected by the perverse inclination to homosexuality or pederasty should be excluded from religious vows and ordination."

One key is what exactly the term "homosexuality" means. At one pole, a single same-sex attraction experienced years ago and never acted upon might mark someone as "homosexual." The other pole might restrict the definition of "homosexuality" to active and on-going sexual behavior. Most people would probably reject the former as overly strict, and the latter as overly loose. The question, then, is where to fall in between.

The senior Vatican official told NCR the document would likely not settle this question.

Ping. (As usual, if you would like to be added to or removed from my "conservative Catholics" ping list, please send me a FReepmail. Please note that this is occasionally a high volume ping list and some of my ping posts are long.)"

The fact that psychological testing just might elicit a forced response that would include someone who had some homosexual "thoughts" years ago as a homosexual is very scary. I would venture that everyone with reasonably good recall has thought about it,even if just to imagine what goes on and shuddering.

Back in the days,before testing for everything was in vogue,and when the average citizen was endowed with a modicum of common sense I would feel confident in endorsing the statements in the 1961 document from the Vatican. In these crazy times,where every man thinks his own opinion is as important and valid as the next man's is a different story.

Reading through the religious forum on a regular basis gives a small idea of the mountains people make of molehills. I am worried about this,and anyone who cares about the future of the Church and western civilization should be worried too. We have to learn how to work together for the greater glory of God ASAP. Or at least figure out who to trust.

That is one reason I am always carping about bad bishops and trying to identify the heterodox,marxist,progressive,homosex sympathizing bishops. I hope many can recognize the problems this is going to cause and start thinking about how this identification of homosexuals can be accomplished without forcing candidates to lie,while concomitantly not throwing every man who admits that he has thought about it out on his ear. It's a problem.