Homosexuals And The Priesthood

[MissyP89]

I am probably going to open this up in Transmundane or something, but I'd like to start off with the thoughts of a Church Scholar.

Gay men are typically not allowed in the priesthood. This makes no logical sense to me, considering all priests take a vow of celibacy anyway. Considering they wouldn't be seeking out any relationships, regardless of orientation, the rationale for refusing their entrance to the priesthood is lost on me.

I would greatly appreciate any efforts to explain this.

Thanks!
Pax,
Melissa

[CatherineM]

First off in Canon # 241 §1,” A diocesan bishop is to admit to a major seminary only those who are judged qualified to dedicate themselves permanently to the sacred ministries; he is to consider their human, moral, spiritual, and intellectual qualities, their physical and psychic health, and their correct intention.” Anyone with any type of moral or psychological challenge can be excluded. The church doesn’t consider same sex attraction as a psychological impairment, but does view it as a very large cross. The demands of the priesthood are hard enough on those who aren’t already fighting extra battles.

My personal opinion is that celibacy is the same whether you are giving up men or women, but it is up to the church to decide who is better equipped to meet the onerous demands of the priesthood. In the past, men have tried to hide in the priesthood rather than deal openly with same sex attraction. That caused a lot of trouble in the way seminaries were doing their formation. I’m not saying that having men with SSA in the priesthood caused the clergy abuse scandal, but having men who were hiding their SSA involved in the process of choosing those who would make good priests, being involved in their formation, might have led to unacceptable individuals being accepted into seminary.