[NYer]

Several Vatican documents and letters over the years have said gays or men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained, regardless of whether they can remain celibate.

A Feb. 2, 1961, Vatican document, “Instruction on the Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders,” made clear homosexuals should be barred from the priesthood.

“(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,” said the document from the then-Vatican’s congregation for religious.

A 1997 letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments says “admission may not take place if there exists a prudent doubt regarding the candidate’s suitability.” It does not specify that homosexuality constitutes a “prudent doubt,” but an American official at the Vatican, the Rev. Andrew Baker, has suggested in an article in the Jesuit magazine America that it does.

In 2002, Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estevez, then-prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, advised against allowing gays in the priesthood in a letter that was published in the congregation’s publication Notitiae.

The Vatican press office announced in November 2002, at the height of the U.S. clergy sex abuse scandal, that the Congregation for Catholic Education was drawing up guidelines for accepting candidates for the priesthood that would address the question of whether gays should be barred.

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I posted this earlier this morning, but Moderator, please remove my posting, cause NYer has a much better ping list for this story.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1531148/posts

[IMRight]

Several Vatican documents and letters over the years have said gays or men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained, regardless of whether they can remain celibate.

That's a slight misstatement. One who remains celibate doesn't even fall into the restriction.

Remember that the Church differentiates between the concupiscent desire (this sin that dwells within me that is not my sin" as Paul puts it) and sinful behavior. "Tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty" likely refers to actual behavior, not to the inclination to commit a particular kind of sin. In "the world", you're "gay" just from who you are attracted to. In the church, that's just a sinful inclination that you are given to conquer - as we all have.

[x5452]

I hope that this isn't becoming something where everyone says 'We're already doing this' and ignores the document.

I think it's clear that over the years NOT everyone has been doing this.

Also I wonder, is there any kind of 'two adult rule' to ensure children are not left in the care of a potentially unscrupulous individual?

[cherry]

already, today in our local paper here in Spokane Washington, our esteemed Bishop Skylstad is saying he will continue to have priests that are homosexual but not "too" homosexual, to paraphrase him....

and there are other bishops stating the same thing!!!!!

God love homosexuals,and we have them on both sides of our families, but the bishops must listen to the POPE!!!!

I have to start investigating some EAstern Rite churches if this continues....

I just swear, with our diocese already in bankruptcy and the parishes and schools at risk, and this IDIOT is not going to obey the Pope...how can we as practicing Catholics continue to give money to these people?