Posted on 10/21/2005 7:07:32 AM PDT by murphE
TORONTO, October 20, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Vision Television, a Canadian television station, that claims openness to religions, is set to air a program in which a Catholic priest is to "come out" as homosexual. A press release for the upcoming program is entitled, "360 Vision Exclusive: a gay Catholic priest comes out."
The release states, "On Thursday, Oct. 20 at 10 p.m. ET , VisionTV 's signature current affairs series 360 Vision presents a special report on the renewed debate over gays in the Catholic priesthood - and elicits a startling revelation from one priest. Defying the Vatican, he declares his homosexuality on camera - making him the first Canadian priest to come out publicly."
The Canadian priest interviewed on 360 Vision says he is celibate. He also estimates that as many as 50% of all priests in Canada are gay
Well, it's always very, very important to defy the Vatican. I'm not sure how this guy announcing his sexual orientation defies the Vatican.
TORONTO -- "I'm a Roman Catholic priest and I'm gay."
With that confession, 63-year-old Karl Clemens became the first priest in Canada to openly declare his homosexuality.
Clemens - a priest for 33 years who retired from the Kingston diocese seven years ago - now lives in Toronto, calling Church Street in the city's gay village his parish.
"I don't have a parish," Clemens told 360 Vision in a documentary that aired last night on VisionTV. "My parish is the street - the highways, the byways, the bars."
Clemens, who wears a priest's collar and says mass every day in his living room, said he is celibate.
"If I were any more celibate, I don't know that I'd be alive," Clemens said, recalling a joke he once told a bishop. The Vatican calls homosexuals "intrinsically disordered," but it appears poised to open the door to gay priests.
A recently leaked Vatican document revealed the Catholic church is prepared to allow gay men into seminaries if they've been celibate for three years.
Clemens estimated "many" priests are gay - as many as half.
"I don't think that would be overstating it," he said.
The church has already warned Clemens, the documentary said. A letter from Kingston Archbishop Anthony Meagher cautioned Clemens about his "gay lifestyle" because "people in the neighbourhood" referred to the priest's roommate as his lover.
Clemens said he is a caregiver to the terminally ill man.
No one from the Catholic church would comment about gay priests for the documentary.
The soft-spoken priest said he refuses to worry about the consequences of coming out, adding a friend advised him this may be the time to do it.
"There's probably something more that God's got for you to do that you can't do if you don't do this first," Clemens said.
ping
Vision Television, a Canadian television station, that claims openness to religions, is set to air a program in which a Catholic priest is to "come out" as homosexual.
There is a bright side to this...The folks will know not to allow their children to associate with him privately! Especially the young men and boys..
If you want on/off the pinglist FReepmail me and little jeremiah
I don't really understand gay Catholic priests.
They invest so much time into a religion that they don't really take seriously in the first place. Seems kind of pointless.
How can a priest be gay if he's celibate? How can a priest have any orientation if he abstains from sex?
Well,
I'm a protestant so I don't know exactly what the Church teaches but the Bible says that God requires truth in the inward parts. That all secret sins will be revealed. Jesus also said that lust was akin to adultery. The Bible also says that homosexuals will not enter heaven.
So thinking that if a priest is fixated on men, and he lusts he is still sinning.
just my .02. Some might see it differently from me.
LOL! Excellent!
Of course, the real reason they do it is that it's an easy living for them. There are few jobs that require so little, give them such automatic respect from little old ladies and the press, and permit them so many liberties (and offer so many - er, attractions).
This is not true of genuine priests, btw, who are devoted and work very hard. But the gay contingent is busy buying condos with their boyfriends, selling drugs (several gay priests have been nabbed here in the south selling Ecstasy and other gay club drugs) and cruising the public parks - and generally being released by the police when it is discovered that they are priests. What more could they want?
That's unfortunate. I for one don't by the celibate but gay argument. I wonder what Catholic Freepers have to say about that.
I am not trying to be paranoid but I can't help but wonder if gay priests have more of an agenda then being just gay priests.
by=buy
It's not paranoid, because they do have another agenda: destroying the Church. They want to turn it into simply another organization that gives the seal of approval to their behavior, and the Church is being tasteless enough to resist.
Odd that they feel they need everybody's approval; in other words, they secretly know that they're wrong, and they're trying to strong-arm the world into "approving" their behavior.
If they get caught they get little more than a slap on the wrist and the church settles out of court.
If the normal homosexual agenda is to force acceptance on everyone why would their intentions towards the church be any different.
Sounds spot on to me.
Christian says: Homosexuality is a sin!
Homosexual advocate says to Christian: Church is full of hommosexual pedofiles! take the log jam out of your own eye before you try to remove the splinter from mine!
See how it works?
Sorry, I was replying to J.W.
Ho-hum, another person came out--so what. It used to be a big thing, but now it's not that big and it's not that unique. Who cares (in an attention sense)? (Of course I care in a greater sense).
So pretty much...we are never going to win the debate. After all, trying to operate on biblical absolutes when the world around us doesn't know the meaning of the word 'is' makes it pretty tough to make people understand why there are those of us who stand against the proliferation of homosexual culture. Especially among children.
I looked up the word pederatst from your last post....I wish I hadn't. I didn't realize the boy buggers had their own little word.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.