Pope to Church: Risky Seminarians Must Go

National Catholic Register ^ | Sept. 15-21, 2002 | ELLEN ROSSINI

[Polycarp]

It is important that any semblance of a gay element of the priesthood would have to be eradicated," he said.

But previous Vatican statements, like the Holy Father's Castel Gandolfo comments, have indicated that homosexuality as such - not only active homosexual behavior - is incompatible with the priesthood.

A 1961 instruction to the superiors of religious communities on "Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders" states:

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."

[Polycarp]

However, the known data on priestly sex abusers - and on abuse by homosexuals in general - does, in fact, point to a causal connection.

...Commenting last spring after the current scandal erupted, Jenkins noted that most clergy-abuse cases have involved minor boys who have sexually matured. "The proper word for a man who has sex with a boy of 16 or 17 is homosexuality," Jenkins said.

Sociological data also indicate that homosexuals as a group are far more prone than heterosexuals to engage in sex with minors.

"Although heterosexuals outnumber homosexuals by a ratio of at least 20 to 1, homosexual pedophiles commit about one-third of the total number of child sex offenses," said Tim Dailey, a senior fellow for culture studies at the Family Research Council.

Dailey released a report in May detailing the link between homosexuality and abuse of minors and noted that even homosexuals acknowledge the link.

"In The Gay Report, by homosexual researchers Karla Jay and Allen Young, the authors report data showing that 73% of homosexuals surveyed had at some time had sex with boys 16 to 19 years of age or younger," Dailey said.

[Orual]

..greater care in selecting candidates who have the capacity to live celibate lives and the exclusion of anyone with observable "deviations in their affections."

From a man that can speak skeighty-eight languages, surely he could say "homosexual" in one of them.

[Catholicguy]

You understood his message. Perhaps his audience was as astute as you. <>

[ThomasMore]

Will the bishops in the U.S. follow through on this?(erradicating homosexuals from the ranks of the seminarians?) They haven't paid much attention to the admonitions of the Holy Father in the past. Will they on this?

[Catholicguy]

Good post. I would think anyone who likes Showtunes and knows that Periwinkle refers to a color should be refused admission to a seminary.

Just the rudimentary understanding of "occasions of sin" would preclude a homosexual seminarian were that seminarian to make his disordered sexual desires know to anyone.<>

[Gerish]

I am so glad the Pope stated this; however, there will be the usual dissenting Bishops who will ignore him (i.e. Clark, Hubbard). It is time to show these Bishops the door!

[Aquinasfan]

"Sexually disordered men aren't appropriate candidates for priests."

We should all put this quote in a letter-to-the-editor to both secular and Catholic newspapers.

[Desdemona]

"Said Bishop Nienstedt: "If anything, the present seminarians are really the disciples of Pope John Paul II. They're not afraid. They've been inspired by this pontificate. They've been called to a kind of dedication and solid intellectual, spiritual and apostolic formation that he reflects.""

Alone, this is a good thing.

Great post.

[Aquinasfan]

Oops. The exact quote is: "It would be lamentable if, out of a misunderstood tolerance, they ordained young men who are immature or have obvious signs of affective deviations that, as is sadly known, could cause serious anomalies in the consciences of the faithful, with evident damage for the whole Church."

Not as great a soundbite.

[Orual]

You understood his message.

Oh, yes, I have become quite proficient in interpreting double-speak from this Pope.

[CatoRenasci]

Best thing the Church could do would be to get rid of all of the Poofters in the Priesthood and keep new ones out of the seminaries.

[patent]

..greater care in selecting candidates who have the capacity to live celibate lives and the exclusion of anyone with observable "deviations in their affections."

From a man that can speak skeighty-eight languages, surely he could say "homosexual" in one of them.

I see a strong similarity between what he said and the catechism section on it, which mentions affections and disorder:

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

He could have said homosexuality, but that isn’t the only deviation that we need to keep out of the seminary these days.

patent  +AMDG

[patent]

You understood his message.

Oh, yes, I have become quite proficient in interpreting double-speak from this Pope.

Double speak? You consider this a meaningless statement from the Pope? Perhaps you should next work on charitably interpreting what he says. JPII has not exactly shown himself to be a fan of gay rights.

patent  +AMDG

[Nephi]

Bishops are in agreement that no one should be ordained who cannot demonstrate a commitment to celibacy, Father Burns said.

"It is important that any semblance of a gay element of the priesthood would have to be eradicated," he said.

Wow, the Catholic Church is demonstrating that it can be as inspired as the Boy Scouts of America!

[Orual]

I would have been very pleased had he quoted the section of the catechism that you did. But he didn't.

He could have said homosexuality, but that isn’t the only deviation that we need to keep out of the seminary these days.

Please, patent, don't play games. You know very well that homosexuality in seminaries is the major, number one, all-encompassing problem that they must deal with. And not to forget - tossing out every homosexual priest that got through those seminaries without being challenged is also of prime importance. I didn't mention homosexual bishops and cardinals because they will be protected by the Vatican until they resign or die.

[lepton]

...the large majority of known incidents are cases not of pedophilia - the sexual abuse of pre-pubescent children - but molestations of teen-age boys by homosexual priests who have already been active with adults.

Bingo

[Romulus]

"I would say in the main that a person with a homosexual orientation would not be a good candidate for seminary life," [Bishop John Nienstedt of New Ulm, Minn., who is the newly elected chairman of the priestly formation committee] said. "The temptations are too great: You're living in an all-male environment, your closest friends are men. You're putting a person in harm's way."

OK, he's orthodox, but he still doesn't appear to get it. To him, as with so many of the American hierarchy, it's all about process: in this case, homosexuality's unacceptable in the priesthood because it interferes with smooth operations.

[John Paul]said in some parts of the world seminaries and theology institutes are promoting a "mutilated vision of the Church" and were forgetting "the essential: that the Church is participation in the mystery of Christ incarnate."

This is why homosexuality is wrong - not only for priests, but for all of us. By attempting to re-define man, homosexuality mutilates the image of God and corrupts a clear understanding of Christ's relationship to the Church. Homosexuality is to be condemned because it's bad christology and bad ecclesiology. The fact that most people find it naturally repugnant is merely evidence of the way divine law is reflected in natural law.

[Catholicguy]

Oh, yes, I have become quite proficient in interpreting double-speak from this Pope.

DOUBLESPEAK

The ability to speak or write two or more contradictory ideas without the speaker or writer being consciously aware of the contradiction. Doublespeak may be, and problably is, consciously used to deceive.

<>Tell us how the Pope is engaged in doublespeak here<>

[cebadams]

The survey recorded a sharp spike in orthodox views among younger priests.

YES!!! This sounds like a very encouraging survey.