Posted on 12/01/2005 12:12:52 PM PST by NYer
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A cover letter accompanying the Vatican's instruction on homosexuality and the priesthood said the new norms must be "faithfully observed" and taken into account in the drafting or updating of each country's seminary guidelines.
The letter also made clear that, while the text does not apply to those already ordained, priests with homosexual tendencies should not have educational roles in seminaries.
The letter from the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education went out to bishops in early November along with the nine-page instruction. The instruction was made public Nov. 29 but the cover letter was not; Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the letter.
It was signed by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the education congregation, and by Archbishop J. Michael Miller, congregation secretary.
The Vatican instruction said the church cannot allow priestly ordination of men who are active homosexuals, who have "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" or who support the "gay culture."
The accompanying letter said it should be "clear that the aforementioned norms are to be faithfully observed by all superiors" involved in admission of candidates to the priesthood.
The instruction, the letter said, "does not call into question the validity of the ordination and the situation of priests who, in fact, have been ordained with homosexual tendencies" or of priests who have manifested homosexual tendencies after ordination.
"Like all other priests, they must remember the promise that they made on the day of their ordination, to live perfect chastity in celibacy," the letter said.
Such priests should continue in their ministry, it said, but added: "Because of the particular responsibility of those charged with the formation of future priests, they are not to be appointed as rectors or educators in seminaries."
The letter offered a brief genesis of the instruction, saying the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith -- headed at the time by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the present pope -- had a key role in its inception and development.
It said that in 1996 the doctrinal congregation invited the education congregation to prepare an instruction on the topic. As the work went forward, the doctrinal congregation "forwarded abundant documentation on the question," it said.
The draft texts were circulated and evaluated by the doctrinal congregation and six other Vatican departments, including those dealing with clergy, sacraments, Eastern churches, evangelization, religious orders and canon law.
Drafts of the instruction were presented at plenary sessions of the education congregation in 1998, 2002 and 2005. The congregation members approved the final version in early February 2005, convinced that it was "helpful and very useful," the letter said.
The letter did not say whether the text had been reviewed by Pope John Paul II, who was too sick to meet with participants of the education congregation plenary last February and who died two months later. Pope Benedict XVI approved the text Aug. 31 and ordered it published.
Thank you, NYer for posting this wonderful news. I've been wondering something over the last few days or so. Does anybody know if one way the Vatican can punish a disobedient or wayward bishop, is to take part of his diocese away from him, to form a new diocese? I kind of remember the Vatican doing something like that years ago in some country in South America(Brazil?)
If they get rid of Mahoney and put in a normal person, the Seminary will be taken care of without Rome having to lift a finger. If they can't get rid of Mahoney, it will be difficult to fix the Seminary problem. Unless they can take it out of the jurisdiction of the diocese. I don't know the org. chart well enough to say.
It shows that they have been aware of, and working on the problem for a long time now. It certainly precedes the sex abuse scandal in this country by more than a few years.
I'm sure the intention of the Holy See has always been to come up with an authoritative document with a view to solidify a long term strategy in dealing with this issue.
Clearly, in the immediate time frame, we are already seeing the last gasps of dissident views trying to shut this document out. But the 70's are over and the mindless excrement of dissent will not stick. The situation is moving forward for a strong future of holy vocations.
I'm curious about that too. Enforcement is key, and what has been sorely lacking for so long. I hate to be disrespectful, but some Bishops' heads need to roll.
Well, let's spell it right. Shepherd.
SD
Or, as Benedict himself might say in German: "Die Cafeteria ist geschlossen!"
Benedikt, Gott Geschickt!
The current seminary visitations may have some fall out in this area.
At least that's what I'm hoping.
Be aware that our enemies consider Romanita pagan, C'est la vie :)
Hehehe, I thought that looked wrong when I typed it ;/
Amen! Pope Benedict has a new broom in which to clean out the "cobwebs"!
There will be an uprising, no mistake about it. This is good however, because then we see who is doing the squawking. Those are the ones who go first.
I was given a link here, several years ago, pointing to parishes who still celebrated Latin Mass. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, due to the distance. I am waiting until I can go to a church close to home to celebrate this : )
I know exactly what you mean. Wish there was one in my town, too...
Or what? What consequences does it spell out exactly if they are not faithfully observed?
As expected, several bishops have already taken a stance against this document and the media has gone to great lengths to seek out the left wing spokespeople who are more than willing to cast negative aspersions on the Vatican and especially "this" pope.
Many are now asking how this new document will be enforced. We have all read this document and its predecessors which 'banned' homosexuals from the priesthood, to no avail. Something is different this time. Pope Benedict XVI was in the position of reading thousands of letters of complaint over the past several decades. Given his devotion to the Catholic Church, these letters, no doubt, left him feeling remorseful and incapable of solving the problem. Now, as pontiff, it all falls into his lap.
In evaluating his short pontificate, to date, we can see a pattern. First, he sends a group to visit the seminaries. The media cries "witch hunt". Then he announces this document and allows an Italian source to leak its contents. Again, the media cry "witch hunt". But today we learn that the document was accompanied by a cover letter, whose contents specifically state that the norms of the "Instruction" must be 'faithfully observed'. How many liberal bishops are squirming in their seats trying to find a work around for this.
I could be wrong but I sense that Pope Benedict XVI is following a master plan of his own design. He is sick and tired, fed up with these 'light in the loafer' prelates who are no longer closeted. Some - not all - hold dissenting views, especially on the topic of homosexual priests. My best guess is that all of these elements - visitations, instruction, cover letter - serve notice to the reprobate bishops that he means business. If so, then you can rest assured that Ratzinger has one more punch to pull. He did this two weeks ago with the Franciscans, re-assigning the head of the Conventual Franciscans to a small diocese and turning responsibility for the order over to a local bishop, who holds great respect for St. Francis and will restore order to these runaway monks.
Those bishops who seek to challenge the pope had better serve notice of their intentions and be prepared to accept the consequences. Surely, this pope has a plan for them and it is not misguiding homosexual seminarians.
**'faithfully observed'**
These words, I like immensely!
More like shrill, girlish shrieks.
"The current seminary visitations may have some fall out in this area."
I think that Archbishop O'Brien is a good man. The time I met him, there was one obvious pansy priest in the assemblage, but I don't really remember how he reacted to him. I do remember that the pansy wasn't one of the little group that gathered around the Archbishop during and after dinner.
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