Gays decry Vatican ban; priest quits

[swimmernsecretsea]

Christopher Curtis, PlanetOut Network
Tuesday, November 29, 2005 / 02:24 PM

After many weeks of leaks and speculation, the Vatican on Tuesday published its instruction on gays in the clergy. The document has angered LGBT rights advocates and prompted one U.S. priest to resign in protest.

Men with "deep-seated" homosexual tendencies should not be ordained, according to the nine-page document, but those with a "transitory problem" can be ordained if they have overcome their feelings for three years.

Pope Benedict XVI approved the instruction Aug. 31, making it one of the first major documents he has approved for publication since being elected pope April 19.

While the document has been in development for years, its existence was discovered in 2002 during the clergy sex abuse scandal.

"That shows the Vatican has no understanding of sexuality or homosexuality," said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Washington, D.C. outreach to gay Catholics.

The Vatican's distinction between "deep-seated" and "transitory" homosexual tendencies "ignores the past 40 years of scientific development in the area of sex research," DeBernardo charged.

The American Psychological Association supports DeBernardo's assessment. According to its Web site, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation to be a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed.

However, the head of the Vatican's education congregation defended the document as a clear reflection of church teaching, saying, "In this field, in today's world, there is some confusion."

"Many defend the position according to which the homosexual condition is a normal condition for the human being, as if it were nearly a third gender," Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski told Vatican Radio. He added the directive is intended for ordination candidates and not for someone who "discovers his homosexuality after having been ordained."

Debbie Weill, the executive director of Dignity USA, the LGBT Catholic group, took issue with the Vatican's motives for the instruction on gays in the priesthood.

"The Vatican continues to erroneously focus on gay men as the cause of the church sexual abuse crisis while neither addressing the root causes of the crisis nor disciplining in any fashion the bishops who share responsibility for it," she said in a written statement.

Weill further described the Vatican's actions as "another misguided, self-destructive step at this very critical time."

"The priest shortage is severe not only in America but also in many other countries. Discouraging gay seminarians and telling all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics -- including gay religious and currently ordained priests and bishops -- how little we are valued further harms the entire church. The church will lose many good priests and members in the future because of this statement," Weill said.

Already, a Catholic priest in Mesa, Ariz., has resigned as pastor because of "aggressive anti-gay positions" coming from Rome and a bishop in Phoenix. The Rev. Leonard Walker, who was chief of Queen of Peace church, said he was no longer comfortable "wearing the uniform" of the priesthood.

"It's like a Jew wearing a Nazi uniform," Walker told the Arizona Republic on Monday. "I could no longer stay in that institution with any amount of integrity."

Harry Knox, director of the Human Rights Campaign's Religion and Faith Program, said the policy goes against the very tenets of Christianity.

"We are calling on all Catholics of goodwill to speak to their priests and express their deep concern at this decision," Knox said. "We're speaking directly to Catholics in the pews and urging them to consider what Jesus would do if he saw his neighbor treated this way."

Link here: http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2005/11/29/1

[GrpCaptMandrake]

1. Um, wait a minute

Since the priesthood is, by definition, celebate in the first place, shouldn't there be a co-equal requirement for hetero priests to overcome *their* "transitory" feelings of heterosexuality before being eligible for ordination?

This is nothing short of the same ugly bigotry that the Church engaged in when it averted its collective eyes from the Holocaust.

It may well be that the Catholic Church, with its Nazi Pope and its pedophilic priests, is simply, irreversibly brain-dead. The body is alive, but the soul is long gone.

[swimmernsecretsea]

2. My feelings exactly.

The Catholic Church could very well have taken the opportunity after the bruising scandals of hushed-up pedophilia and low attendance by a younger generation to reach out, to heal, to be inclusive. They didn't. The new Pope could have brought people together instead of ripping apart their own base. Now they're pushing people away, pushing away candidates for priesthood, locking doors, keeping people out. It'll just be a set of empty buildings soon. Now, if things go worse for themselves, they have only themselves to blame.

[BOSSHOG]

3. So a Priest can lust after my Wife

but not after me or the Altar Boys? Thanks for clearing that up Mr Pope. It certainly gives new meaning to celibacy.

[Debi]

4. Well, Ratz would probably just lust after your wife's shoe collection

Which I think is still one of the ten biggies!

[BOSSHOG]

5. That would be a lot of lusting

cause she's got a godawful large shoe collection.

[TechBear_Seattle]

6. Message for Pope Benny:

Love the shoes, but the hat.... and what is this with gold lamé? Anyway, your comments about gays seem a tad hypocritical, coming from a man in a lace-festooned dress.

[Debi]

7. People at Mass joke when the Arch Bishop comes to visit

Mass is over when the guy in the dress and funny hat sings...:rofl:

[swimmernsecretsea]

8. Oh, that is just wrong!

I just don't know where to begin--I could start with how much that ensemble needs a matching bag. A hat couldn't hurt either. And for God's sake let me get my hands on that 'do! Someone call 911--that b***h is having a sartorial meltdown!

OK. Done channelling Rip Torn.

[ropi]

10. HAHAH

'there's no place like rome' *clicks heels*
'there's no place like rome' *clicks heels*

with those shoes, old ratz looks like a friend of dorothy...

[Moderator]

9. swimmernsecretsea

From Democratic Underground's rules: "do not copy-and-paste entire articles onto this discussion forum. When referencing copyrighted work, post a short excerpt (not exceeding 4 paragraphs) with a link back to the original."