VATICAN CITY – In a move that critics consider to be both the scapegoating of gays and a refusal to investigate and correct possible hierarchical corruption, the Vatican has released its long-awaited statement on the ordinations of gays within the Roman Catholic Church.Although not as harsh as some had expected, the new policy will deny men whose homosexuality is “deep-seated” any entry into clerical seminaries, although those whose attraction to other men is deemed a “transitory problem” with three recent years of reported celibacy will be allowed to train for the priesthood.
No definition of “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” is provided by the document, nor are there guidelines for determining the truth of celibacy claims.
Released on Tuesday of this week, the Congregations for Catholic Education’s official release of the “Instruction,” which is fully entitled “Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admissions to the Seminary and to Holy Orders” came a week after it had been leaked and distributed by an Italian Catholic news agency’s website. The nine-page document filled with footnotes was approved by Pope Benedict XVI and extends not merely to those who are homosexual but also to those who “support the so-called gay culture.” Benedict was well known for his exceptionally hard-line policies as regards Church dogma during his many years as Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith
As expected, social conservatives have hailed the policy as an important step away from the “gay culture” that they believe is responsible for U.S. seminary difficulties. More liberal critics point out that the number of U.S. priests is already at a critically low level and that in addition to creating morale problems among active priests, the policy will make it even more difficult for seminaries to attract quality candidates.
According to Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the policy will not affect any candidate who becomes a priest and then “discovers his homosexuality after becoming ordained.” Instead, they will be expected to “try to live in chastity” and seek spiritual support from others. How the professional need for chastity and related support among gay priests differs from that required by heterosexual priests is unknown.
Although in the works for many years, the existence of the instruction became known in 2002 when publicity about the Roman Catholic Church’s clergy sex abuse crisis was at a peak. A study of the situation, commissioned by U.S. bishops, revealed that the majority of abuse victims since 1950 were adolescent males. However, experts on the subject of sexual offenses and offenders insist that homosexuals are no more likely than heterosexuals to molest and that victims are more likely to be selected due to ease of availability rather than gender.
The document reiterates Church teaching that individuals with persistent same-sex desires are “objectively disordered” and, although worthy of respect and sensitivity and not to be discriminated against, should be denied membership into the clergy. The Reverend Timothy Radcliff, a former superior of the Dominican order is not comfortable with the poly and stated in The Tablet, a British Catholic weekly, that “there are many excellent priests who are gay and who clearly have a vocation from God.” Because of this, he opined that turning men with a “permanent homosexual orientation” away from the clergy “cannot be correct.” In fact, Radcliff, whose experience working with all levels of Catholic clergy has been on an international scale, has “no doubt that God does call homosexuals to the priesthood, and they are among the most dedicated and impressive priests” that he has ever met.
