Posted on 09/19/2005 3:35:59 PM PDT by NYer
Vatican, Sep. 19 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI has given his approval to a new Vatican policy document indicating that men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained as Catholic priests.
The new document-- which was prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education, in response to a request made by the late Pope John Paul II in 1994-- will be published soon. It will take the form of an "Instruction," signed by the prefect and secretary of the Congregation: Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski and Archbishop Michael Miller.
The text, which was approved by Pope Benedict at the end of August, says that homosexual men should not be admitted to seminaries even if they are celibate, because their condition suggests a serious personality disorder which detracts from their ability to serve as ministers.
Priests who have already been ordained, if they suffer from homosexual impulses, are strongly urged to renew their dedication to chastity, and a manner of life appropriate to the priesthood.
The Instruction does not represent a change in Church teaching or policy. Catholic leaders have consistently taught that homosexual men should not be ordained to the priesthood. Pope John XXIII approved a formal policy to that effect, which still remains in effect. However, during the 1970s and 1980s, that policy was widely ignored, particularly in North America. The resulting crisis in the priesthood-- in which one prominent American commentator observed that the priesthood was coming to be seen as a "gay" profession-- prompted Pope John Paul II to call for a new study on the question.
The Congregation for Catholic Education prepared the Instruction after soliciting advice from all of the world's bishops, from psychologists, and from moral theologians. A draft of the Instruction was then circulated among the Vatican dicasteries concerned with the issue, notably including the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The pending release of the Instruction, in the face of certain criticism from liberal forces in America and Western Europe, demonstrates the determination of the Vatican to improve the quality of priestly ministry, and to protect the Church from some of the scandals that have recently shaken the Catholic community-- and no doubt deterred many men from entering priestly training.
Informed sources in Rome indicate that the Instruction probably will be made public after the Synod of Bishops, which meets in Rome from October 2 through 23.
So sinning against the physical integrity of the human person is a good thing? You forget that Origen was a heretic who denied the divinity of Christ. I do not follow heretics into error, certainly one as ludacris as to mutilate healthy flesh. It is not the man's penis that causes him to sin. It is his weak will. Removing the penis and leaving the will intact is hardly a solution. You forget your place when you suggest such things.
1 Corinthians 5
Expel the Immoral Brother!
9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.
12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
I agree with you, its way too entrenched. How do they expect to enforce it, some churches are pretty much de facto schismatic anyhow.
Great news. I'll be a-pinging later tonight or tomorrow AM. Just walked in the door.
Oh, you got this one too! Can't I have any fun being the bearer of good news?
"those (men who suffer from SSAD) that have been ordained and by the grace of God have remained celibate."
My, you will keep insisting that such things happen, won't you?
Well, maybe it just means that the gear ratio was set for highest torque conditions in climbing over all the dissent. It appears to be time to move into overdrive now for high speed.
Can we use chastity belts?
What evidence is there of this?
What's that? Do you Spanish Inquisition or the Holy Inquisition? May I ask are you Catholic?
It seems to me that Consecrated Life would be mean salvation to an homosexual. As a priest he would have to be celebrate. The Holy Father has already said that the sin is bad not the sinner however the sinner should avoid committing the sin. Just like a dipsomaniac. As the cannon say ""all the faithful form a holy and royal priesthood, offer spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ and proclaim the greatness of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (cf 1 Pet 2:5. 9).(4) In Christ, his entire Mystical body is united to the Father through the Holy Spirit for the salvation of all men." Because "Through consecration, the priest "receives a spiritual 'power' as a gift which is a participation in the authority with which Jesus Christ, through his Spirit, guides the Church". again the Cannons.
I can't find this on the Vatican web page. My Italian is Italian and Latin are great. I'm a little suspect. Because John Paul II has spoken on this since 1994.
What hell CAN break lose? I think the term "homosexual trendacies" is a little losy goosy for the THe Holy See
bureaucrats with tow thousand years of writing stuff like this. And I think it should be the Bishop or the Primate of the order who makes the call. In every country Bishops have National Conferences but those Conferences don't exist in t he Church's structure and the Diocese is completely and wholly responsible for its priests if the Bishops accepts them.
So remember seminaries "No Show Tumes"
Huh???
Hold off for a couple of days.
We still haven't seen the whites of the eyes of those who will resist; but not to worry--they'll show up in the weekend Op Eds in the papers...
"Enforcement"?
TTGC (see the tagline) will be happy to help. Not only with those Bishops who resist-but with those who refuse the eviction notices.
Please: show examples of "mean-spiritedness."
Frankly, the meanest people I've met are generally queers.
Oh, yes.
We will pray for the disordered, but we have been praying for this for so long, that to actually see it happen is a joyous occasion.
They've already started crawling out from under rocks.
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