Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: allendale
celibacy optional and forcefully purges the clergy of all homosexuals.

Two distinct, and perhaps unrelated issues.

7 posted on 01/06/2015 1:31:06 PM PST by Kenny Bunk (Obama? He ain't from around here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies ]


To: Kenny Bunk
Two distinct, and perhaps unrelated issues

I think they are related, in the following way. Beginning in the 1960s, tens of thousands of Catholic priests "came out" by marrying a woman. Depending on how they did it, their departures were either (relatively) peaceful or quite stormy. Nonetheless, the longstanding success with the discipline of celibacy was severely harmed, and the number of active, healthy priests declined somewhat.

The same forces arising out of society's fascination with "sexual liberation" had their effect on homosexual priests, as well. But they could not "come out" as so many heterosexual priests did, and because they stayed behind when their heterosexual brother priests departed to marry, their RELATIVE numbers among practicing clergy increased.

The presence of healthy, heterosexual men in the rectories prior to 1965 was a factor that inhibited the emergence of a homosexual subculture, which really took off as the proportion of homosexuals in the clergy increased, as outlined above.

IF it had been possible to retain the married priests, I don't think things would have taken quite so bad a turn.

32 posted on 01/06/2015 4:41:11 PM PST by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson