OraProMe Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Sorry to beat a dead horse but my Diocesan seminary, following a Vatican document, recently started screening potential candidates for homosexuality. It was made clear that the same sex attraction alone, regardless if one is chaste, is enough to prohibit you entry to the seminary. Other houses of religious formation accept candidates with same sex attraction aslong as they have proved they can maintain a celibate lifestyle. Your opinion and why Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didymus Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Obviously I would never have a problem with the Vatican's decision (which I admit I am ignorant of), but my own opinion is that a seminarian/priest cannot fully offer up himself through celibacy without having the desire to be a husband and a father in the first place. So I believe that maintaining a celibate lifestyle, while admirable, is unfortunately not enough.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OraProMe Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 (edited) [center][/center][quote name='Didymus' date='28 August 2009 - 11:07 AM' timestamp='1251472073' post='1957162'] Obviously I would never have a problem with the Vatican's decision (which I admit I am ignorant of), but my own opinion is that a seminarian/priest cannot fully offer up himself through celibacy without having the desire to be a husband and a father in the first place. So I believe that maintaining a celibate lifestyle, while admirable, is unfortunately not enough.. [/quote] Yeah, I understand that point of view. However, on the other hand, would you say that an Eastern Rite priest who is married "cannot fully offer himself up" as much as a Latin Rite priest? Because he doesn't sacrifice a wife or fatherhood either. Edited August 28, 2009 by OraProMe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenchild17 Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 (edited) I'd be interested in seeing where this thread goes. I don't know what the right answer is at this time but I feel personally right now that a chaste homosexual might be allowed entrance. But I don't know what the Church has said on the matter. A priest needs to be chaste regardless, homosexual or straight, so for me it seems to be somewhat of a non-issue. I think any priest, homosexual or straight, is essentially marrying himself to the Church when he is ordained and I think as long as the priest understands this concept that orientation isn't as important, since the Church (while we refer to her as a 'she') is of no particular gender. Edited August 28, 2009 by goldenchild17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I think it depends on the individual. I wouldn't make broad strokes in either direction. I think this should be handled in the formation process, but I am willing to abide by whatever the Vatican believes is necessary now for the times we live in. My husband would like to be a Deacon, but has been turned down because of his illness, which has been stable for over 15 years with medication. Sometimes you just have to accept things that are beyond your control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenrockthefirst Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 [quote name='OraProMe' date='28 August 2009 - 10:41 AM' timestamp='1251470503' post='1957148'] Sorry to beat a dead horse but my Diocesan seminary, following a Vatican document, recently started screening potential candidates for homosexuality. It was made clear that the same sex attraction alone, regardless if one is chaste, is enough to prohibit you entry to the seminary. Other houses of religious formation accept candidates with same sex attraction aslong as they have proved they can maintain a celibate lifestyle. Your opinion and why [/quote] We all have disordered inclinations, i.e. we are all "broken" to one degree or another. Why is homosexuality being singled out as a disqualifying disorder while others are not? If one was an alcoholic but had been "on the wagon" for a given period of time, would that nonetheless lead to one's exclusion from consideration for a religious life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrMagnificat Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 IMHO, it would be more difficult for a gay man to operate in such a male dominated venue as the priesthood or as a lay consecrate in cloister. Unfortunately, the recent sins of their forebearers is making it more and more difficult to consider gay men. Actually, prohibiting them out right is better than a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Let they gentlement rejected from this seminary find one that is more charitable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamalove Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 We have just had an incident where one of our diocesan priests was arrested in a prostitution sting. He was caught with a male prostitute. Not wanting to elaborate, lets just say he was not preaching to the young man. This apparently was not the first incident either. He had a whole separate life going on. Not wanting to lump all priests, seminarians, and those discerning who have SSA all together, because of this incident, I would say yes. They should be denied entry into the seminary or priesthood. Yet there are many, many other ways they can serve the Lord and His Church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenrockthefirst Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 [quote name='mamalove' date='28 August 2009 - 03:52 PM' timestamp='1251489126' post='1957374'] We have just had an incident where one of our diocesan priests was arrested in a prostitution sting. He was caught with a male prostitute. Not wanting to elaborate, lets just say he was not preaching to the young man. This apparently was not the first incident either. He had a whole separate life going on. Not wanting to lump all priests, seminarians, and those discerning who have SSA all together, because of this incident, I would say yes. They should be denied entry into the seminary or priesthood. Yet there are many, many other ways they can serve the Lord and His Church. [/quote] OK, let's forget the disordered part of homosexuality for the moment. Let's just deal with the issue of sexual urges. Are you saying that someone with homosexual urges shouldn't be considered for the priesthood, even where those urges are not acted on, because of the chance that they might be acted on, but that someone with heterosexual urges can be considered for the priesthood, even where those urges are not acted on, despite the fact that they might be acted on? Unfortunately, great scandal has accrued to the Church because of pedophile priests but there are also priests who have acted on normal urges with women. In addition, as per my earlier post, there are also priests who have struggled with alcoholism, yet we're not talking about barring persons with alcoholic tendencies but who are sober from considering the priesthood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ortus Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 (edited) [quote name='mamalove' date='28 August 2009 - 09:52 PM' timestamp='1251489126' post='1957374'] We have just had an incident where one of our diocesan priests was arrested in a prostitution sting. He was caught with a male prostitute. Not wanting to elaborate, lets just say he was not preaching to the young man. This apparently was not the first incident either. He had a whole separate life going on. Not wanting to lump all priests, seminarians, and those discerning who have SSA all together, because of this incident, I would say yes. They should be denied entry into the seminary or priesthood. Yet there are many, many other ways they can serve the Lord and His Church. [/quote] I am not sure what your point is. When I was a child our Parish Priest ran off with one of the female parishioners. Last year we had one of the priests in the Diocese exposed in the local papers as having a long term lover with whom he had three children. Perhaps we should be playing on the safe side and because all men have sexual desires and some of them cannot control them, only androids can be ordained. The Church's position is fairly clear - current active homosexuality or a deeply entrenched support of the homosexual lifestyle is a bar to entry into seminary. However, current sexually active heterosexuality would also give most sensible people pause for thought about someone's suitability to enter the seminary. Edited August 28, 2009 by ortus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeniteAdoremus Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I've been reading about the celibacy thing as well, but I'm not sure I understand it yet. There is the aspect of sacrifice, and having a desire towards marriage is said to be healthy for a celibate, but I couldn't say whether it's [i]necessary[/i]. If the church says so, I suppose... personally, my desire for marriage is not extremely strong, even though I am heterosexual. My personal opinion is that it should be a case-by-case basis. Several of the priests I admire most are attracted to men, and I wouldn't have liked to miss them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resurrexi Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 [quote name='mamalove' date='28 August 2009 - 02:52 PM' timestamp='1251489126' post='1957374'] We have just had an incident where one of our diocesan priests was arrested in a prostitution sting. He was caught with a male prostitute. Not wanting to elaborate, lets just say he was not preaching to the young man. This apparently was not the first incident either. He had a whole separate life going on. Not wanting to lump all priests, seminarians, and those discerning who have SSA all together, because of this incident, I would say yes. They should be denied entry into the seminary or priesthood. Yet there are many, many other ways they can serve the Lord and His Church. [/quote] I agree with this comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 [quote name='mamalove' date='28 August 2009 - 02:52 PM' timestamp='1251489126' post='1957374'] We have just had an incident where one of our diocesan priests was arrested in a prostitution sting. He was caught with a male prostitute. Not wanting to elaborate, lets just say he was not preaching to the young man. This apparently was not the first incident either. He had a whole separate life going on. Not wanting to lump all priests, seminarians, and those discerning who have SSA all together, because of this incident, I would say yes. They should be denied entry into the seminary or priesthood. Yet there are many, many other ways they can serve the Lord and His Church. [/quote] I agree that there are many ways to serve. I sit in class with seminarians that will be ordained when we graduate, but I will not be ordained. It doesn't mean I can't serve the church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightofChrist Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 [quote name='kenrockthefirst' date='28 August 2009 - 02:45 PM' timestamp='1251485102' post='1957339'] We all have disordered inclinations, i.e. we are all "broken" to one degree or another. Why is homosexuality being singled out as a disqualifying disorder while others are not? If one was an alcoholic but had been "on the wagon" for a given period of time, would that nonetheless lead to one's exclusion from consideration for a religious life? [/quote] The problem is sodomy is one of the greatest sins, one of the few that cry out for vengeance before God, an abomination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamalove Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 [quote name='ortus' date='28 August 2009 - 04:26 PM' timestamp='1251491196' post='1957389'] The Church's position is fairly clear - current active homosexuality or a deeply entrenched support of the homosexual lifestyle is a bar to entry into seminary. However, current sexually active heterosexuality would also give most sensible people pause for thought about someone's suitability to enter the seminary. [/quote] I totally agree I guess my point here is that heterosexual attractions are normal. With homosexual attraction there is a deviation from the norm which may or may not be more tempting to act upon for the individual. I could be way off base as far as chastity and homosexuality go since I have never struggled with SSA before, but that's my opinion. Of course, a currently sexually active heterosexual man should not be permitted to the seminary either. However, his attraction doesn't deviate from the way God created us. (Unless he's with a different flavor each week because that's just messed up.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now