Posted on 11/22/2005 11:43:46 AM PST by badabing98
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican says homosexuals who are sexually active or support "gay culture" are unwelcome in the priesthood unless they have overcome their homosexual tendencies for at least three years, according to a church document posted on the Internet by an Italian Catholic news agency.
The long-awaited document is scheduled to be released by the Vatican on Nov. 29. A church official who has read the document confirmed the authenticity of the Internet posting by the Adista news agency.
The document said that "the church, while deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit to the seminary and the sacred orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support so-called gay culture."
"Those people find themselves, in fact, in a situation that presents a grave obstacle to a correct relationship between men and women. One cannot ignore the negative consequences that can stem from the ordination of people with deeply rooted homosexual tendencies," it said.
"If instead it is a case of homosexual tendencies that are merely the expression of a transitory problem, for example as in the case of an unfinished adolescence, they must however have been clearly overcome for at least three years before ordination as a deacon."
Vatican prohibitions on active homosexuals becoming priests are not new.
A key 1961 Vatican document on selecting candidates for the priesthood made clear homosexuals should be barred.
However, the sex abuse scandal among priests in the United States and elsewhere has led some to call for new restrictions.
This is the 3rd article in as many days purporting to have inside information. When it is published on November 29, we will know the contents for certain. Until then, all is conjecture.
funny how they made it seem that this was the real thing.
There is an official Vatican document, signed by Pope John XXIII, dating back to 1963 that prohibits the ordination of homosexuals to the priesthood. The real problem is enforcement, getting the thousands of local bishops all over the world to obey it.
Sexually active!!? Active?!
They had to spell that out, I suppose.
I've heard and read that homosexual priests don't believe homosexual acts are violating chastity and celibacy. They parse their activities as some odd interpretation that the Scriptures and Jesus' admonitions only pertain to heterosexual singles and married couples.
I fled one church when the priest oogled my very handsome youngest son when he was home on Spring break and attended Mass with me. It was obvious and freaky.
And
my maternal instincts were out in spades. This creep was "retired" the next year due to his "activities" with young, adult men.
They aren't fit to be priests. I don't care whether they are celibate or not, the inclination is there. I also do not believe that they can relate to women. By nature, most of them detest women.
Lotharios also hate women, so I am told. Interestingly enough, the term "gay" used to be applied to such men, since they tended to be bisexual.
As in "It depends on what the meaning of 'fag' is"?
Can someone explain to me what a "non-sexually active gay" is? The whole definition of being gay is engaging in sodomy and other sick behavior with other men.
So, how can you be "gay" and "not sexually active?" It's impossible.
Actually it was published in 1961 (Bl. John XXIII having died before '63), and it applies only to advancement of homosexuals to ordination in religious orders. This is the first official Instruction to treat of the problem at the level of the whole priesthood.
Oops. Of course this isn't right, since Bl. John died in 1963. The instruction's still from 1961, though.
Umh, lets see, being attracted to the same sex and not acting out on it.
So, in other words, yes, a homosexual can be admitted to seminary? How long between being admitted to seminary and ordination to the diaconate?
Thank you. I found this excerpt from the Holy See's 1961 letter.
"Advancement 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."
To anyone who cares to know the truth, the Catholic Church has steadfastly stood against the ordination of homosexuals. To the true Catholic who has sought the facts, it is clearly understood that the Church as been viciously attacked from within by the homosexual agenda. All they needed was to get one homosexual to be elevated to Bishop, and from there he could control who is and is not admitted to a seminary, and who is ordained. It didn't take long for the plan to bear its rotten fruit, as one gay priest after another was ordained. Some of them rose to the office of Bishop, even Cardinal, over time. The rest is tragic history.
Now our new Pope, Benedict XVI, is bringing down the gauntlet on these pervert seminarians as Pope John XXIII did in 1961, and I pray he has the energy and strength to have this new Apostolic regulation vigorously enforced.
Nope, the words you quoted referred to a 'transitory' (fleeting) feeling of homosexuality, due to being raped or abused as a child, hence having been sexually conflicted and emotionally stunted for a short time. But it says, in essence, this had to have been a passing phase, now cleared up in the person, and the candidate must have displayed for at least three his return to sexual normalcy and personal chastity. Also bear in mind that a new seminarian is a long way from the ordained priesthood, and these rules only get stricter as the candidate moves closer to Holy Orders.
Frankly, after reading the entire letter I believe the Pope makes it unequivocally clear that homosexuals need not apply to the priesthood.
Thank God for the return of a conservative Pope with the determination to vigorously address this problem.
In my opinion the 1961 letter applied to the entire Church, even though it was specifically addressed to "Superiors of Religious Communities", "Societies without vows" and (Catholic) "Secular Institutes". It appears that (Catholic) 'Secular Institutes' (such as Catholic Universities and Colleges would cover Seminarian training, as would "Religious Communites", which would also cover many ordinations. The "Socities without vows" covers a wide variety of Catholic monks, lay people such as Third Orders, etc. So it's difficult to understand how this 1961 letter would exclude diocesan Bishops from the barring of ordaining homosexuals.
My supposittion is that the Vatican at the time was particularly concerned by reports of homosexuality within the various religious orders, whom answer to their own Bishops and thus are more independent and more able to covertly express any perverted sexual tendencies, (as the Templars of the middle ages).
But no matter if I surmise correctly or not, Pope Benedict XVI's letter is an extraordinary breath of fresh air.
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