Document re homosexuals in priesthood warranted, prudent, says Catholic League

Nov 23, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Vatican document indicating that homosexuals cannot be admitted to the seminary and to holy orders is warranted and prudent, said Catholic League president Bill Donohue. The document was leaked to the press Tuesday but its official release is expected Nov. 29.

The Vatican document says that while homosexuals must be respected, the Catholic Church “cannot admit to seminaries and to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, who present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or who support the so-called gay culture.”  Donohue said most practicing Catholics would welcome this decision.

“The Vatican is prudent not to have an absolute ban on admission of homosexuals to the priesthood: there are too many good men with homosexual tendencies who have served the Church with distinction,” said Donohue.

“But there is a monumental difference between someone who is incidentally homosexual and someone for whom the gay subculture is central to his identity,” Donohue pointed out. “Only those blinded by sexual politics will fail to make this distinction.”

Donohue also made reference to the sex-abuse scandal in the Church, stating that while most homosexual priests were not molesters, most molesters were homosexuals.

“The John Jay Report made this clear: 81 percent of the victims are male and almost as many are postpubescent. This is not called pedophilia—it is called homosexuality,” he said.

“The Catholic laity is justifiably angry with molesting priests and their enabling bishops, few in number though they have been,” Donohue continued. “What this [Vatican] document does is to send a signal—those who cannot seriously commit to a celibate lifestyle have no legitimate role to play in the priesthood. This stricture should apply equally to heterosexuals.”