Homosexuals and the priesthood Francis is also against their ordinations. Some in the church consider it unfair

Francis is repeatedly against it.

Pope Francis last May said members of the Italian bishops’ Conference not to allow homosexual men to enter the seminary and prepare for the priesthood. The Italian bishops considered accepting homosexuals into seminaries who commit to living celibacy in the same way as heterosexual candidates for the priesthood.

The Italian agency ANSA reported that the Pope did not take this path during the hour-and-a-half meeting with the bishops.

He allegedly expressed himself in such a sense that it is necessary to respect the homosexual who knocks on the door of the seminary, but at the same time, set boundaries and prevent the risk that a homosexual who chooses the priesthood could live a double life later.

According to the media, the Pope also complained about the excess of homosexuality in some Italian seminaries, allegedly using the term „frociaggine“, which has a derogatory meaning in Italian. The Vatican later apologized for these words.

Francis took the same position in the book Occupational Strength, where he expressed dissatisfaction that there was homosexuality among priests and consecrated persons and affirmed the position that homosexuals were not to be admitted to seminaries and monasteries.

Pope with Italian bishopsFrantišek expressed his rejection of homosexuals in priestly seminaries, the media writes.

The document also clearly speaks against the ordination of homosexuals. The Congregation for Clerics published the gift of vocation to the priesthood in 2016.

It says that the „ Church, although it profoundly respects the persons concerned, cannot admit to the seminary and ordinations those who practice homosexuality, show deep-rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called—homosexual culture.

The mentioned persons are in a situation that seriously prevents them from establishing proper relationships with men and women. The negative consequences that can result from the ordination of persons with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be overlooked.“

Priesthood requires maturity

Polish priest and psychologist Marek Dziewiecki, who was in charge of the pastoral care of vocations within Poland, in his text Candidates for the Priesthood and Homosexuality, which was published back in 2006, writes that it was under Benedict XVI that it was explicitly forbidden to ordain men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies.

Dziewiecki describes this as a real revolution brought about by a special instruction of the Holy See. According to Dziewiecki, for two thousand years, there was no formal prohibition in the Catholic Church to ordain a homosexual as a priest.

The turning point occurred in 2005 when not only homosexual acts were officially recognized as an obstacle to priestly ordination but also the homosexual tendency of candidates for the priesthood and their connection with the so-called gay culture.

In November 2005, by order of Benedict XVI., she published Congregation for Catholic Education Instruction on the criteria for distinguishing the profession of persons with homosexual tendencies, about their admission to the seminary and admission to the sacred state. 

„ The Church, although it deeply respects the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary and ordinations those who practice homosexuality, show deep-rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called homosexual culture,“ writes the document.

Sacrament of the sacred statePriestly service is a mission, not an occupation. Self-denial must also be taken into account.

Julia Kubic

The aforementioned Polish priest claims that the „emotional and sexual sphere is closely connected with other spheres of a person, especially with the sphere of relationships and values. These two spheres are like a mirror in which the entire history of human development and upbringing is reflected, as well as his current situation, especially relationships and values. Weakness or immaturity in any area of life inevitably leads to difficulties in the sexual area as well. Sexual problems are mostly secondary, which is why sexuality is the sixth, not the first commandment“.

Marek Dziewiecki says that homosexuality, for example, can block mature relationships with women and also prevent priests from having mature relationships with men. If a seminarian experiences difficulties in coping with his sex life, he has to honestly draw the attention of the confessor or spiritual guide to this problem in conversations.

„This is a strict moral obligation when the problems are very serious ( for example sexual intercourse or homosexual tendencies and even more actions). As a rule, such situations are a clear sign that the candidate should leave the seminary,“ claims the Polish priest.

According to Priest Dziewiecki, the opportunity to continue seminary formation can be given to those who understand that sexual problems mean that they struggle to some extent in other areas of their lives as well when they cooperate with the formators in the seminar, and when you see the positive development in the sexual sphere associated with a change in behavior in this area.

According to church documents, if homosexuality is deeply rooted in a candidate for the priesthood, his spiritual leader and confessor have a duty in conscience to dissuade him from ordination. Suppose homosexual tendencies are only a manifestation of a temporary problem, such as an unfinished process of adolescence and the like. In that case, such tendencies must be overcome at least three years before ordination.

Cardinal Mueller sees a correlation between pedophilia and homosexuality

The prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, also declared in 2018 that if someone has clear and persistent homosexual tendencies, he cannot become a priest, and it is an irreparable obstacle to ordination.

In the book Christ is Always Modern with the Polish author Pal Lisickýthey also talked about homosexuality. The prefect emeritus sees a strong correlation between homosexual tendencies and pedophilia, although he emphasizes that it is not the same thing.

„You can’t argue with the facts. They say that in eighty percent the sexual victims of priests were young men and boys. This means that the vast number of cases of pedophilia is supported by a homosexual tendency.“ However, the cardinal added in one breath that this does not mean that all homosexuals have pedophile tendencies.

„This solution is fully justified by the current situation. It follows directly from the fact that the priest must be a spiritual father,“ argued the cardinal.

Homosexuality is only one of the obstacles.

In discussed Instructions, it is also reported from 2005 that the obstacle to priestly ordination is not only actions and/or deep homosexual tendencies but also the spread of so-called gay „culture. “

The rector of the priestly seminary in Nitra, Marián Dragúň, states that a man with the qualities required by the church, which are publicly known from church documents, can enter the seminary.

Homosexuality is thus only one of several obstacles to the priesthood. Marek Dziewiecki reminds us that the norms of the church do not only deal with sexual orientation. The church does not even accept people who have not passed the high school diploma, have serious health problems, or have issues with drugs and alcohol.

„ No one has the right to the priesthood, it is a gift and a secret that is verified in the community of the church,“ emphasizes the rector of the Nitra seminary, where they also follow the mentioned documents during the formation of priests.

New guidelines for Italian seminars: will they ordain homosexuals in Italy? Bishops correct media reports on new rules.

We also asked the rector from Nitra, Marián Dragúň, and the rector of the Košice seminary, Štefan Novotný, whether the sexual orientation of the candidates is somehow determined when entering the seminary.

„Seminarists during the formation period are led to clearly distinguish their prerequisites for performing priestly service. They also address the issue of their sexual identity and ability to live their lives celibate in face-to-face conversations with formators on both the internal and external forums. For seminarians, sincerity in formation conversations and openness to truth are assumed, without which the entire formation would lose its importance. Seminarians use the opportunity to consult their problems with a psychologist,“ says Dragúň.

He adds that the specific application of the guidance of church documents in this area is very delicate and requires a personal approach to the candidate in the discernment process.

Štefan Novotný says that the issue of orientation is part of an oral interview, as well as the testimonies they give about the candidate, for example, in the parish or the community in which he lives.

„Psychological tests do not distinguish sexual orientation, they can only diagnose symptoms of problems, for example, suppression, avoidance, etc. A prerequisite for good preparation for priestly service is the candidate’s sincerity towards himself and others, the Lord God in the first place, self-knowledge and self-acceptance,“ explains Rector Novotný with that, that if there is a deficit of sincerity in formation, sooner or later it will take revenge.

„ The first victim will be the candidate himself and then another in his vicinity. Man is an intelligent creature, and the more intelligent he is, the sooner he will deceive others and himself. The lie has short legs, so great emphasis is placed on sincerity in the formation. I don’t know anything better and more effective in formation,“he says.

The world of Christianity also approached some psychologists who work in priestly seminaries with the question of whether they can find out homosexual orientation and how it is detected.

However, they did not want to talk about the topic so as not to provide details about the creation of assessments publicly.

However, the psychologist primarily assesses the emotional and personal maturity of the candidate, and admission or non-admission to the seminary is decided by the leaders of the seminary, respectively the diocesan bishop, based on the results.

All priests must observe celibacy, say opponents of the ban on gay ordination

However, there are also opinions in the church that homosexual orientation should not be an obstacle to ordination if such a priest observes celibacy.

The Czech Salesian priest Michal Martinek also thinks about the meaning of this ban. In the text on your website, he admits that this ban has a kind of logic in the original motivation, which was that sexual scandals were committed in the church mainly by such oriented priests. „ However, heterosexual priests also commit abuse,“ Martinek points out with concrete examples.

He adds that most priests from both groups do not abuse anyone but try to observe the commitment to celibacy faithfully.

Martinek admits that there are more homosexuals in percentage among priests than in the general population because orientation may be one of the reasons that lead a young man to the priesthood. „He knows he would never marry, and in a celibate priesthood he sees a natural way to fulfill life.“

According to Martinek, the order of the church only leads to the fact that if a homosexual wants to become a priest, he must remain silent about it, which leads to hypocrisy, and it is not suitable for the church either.

Polish priest Dziewiecki even doubts that ordination is valid in such a case.

Martinek also disagrees with the argument that homosexuality prevents mature relationships with both men and women. He says that he also knows heterosexual priests who fear women for celibacy and fight for power in male society.

„ These are all reasons why I find Pope Benedict’s order unfortunate. It would seem much better to me if future priests could reflect on their orientation responsibly and, in the case of homosexual orientation, also freely and publicly admit it. In this way, they would then be accepted by their bishop and their parishioners; the obligation of celibacy would apply to them in the same way as to a heterosexual priest. With all the struggles and crises associated with it,“ concludes Martinek.

Sexual orientation as a stop sign to the priesthood is not correct, even according to the interviewed psychologist, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the topic. She has experience with the psychological assessments of seminarians.

„ Rather, it is good to consider how negatively the identity crisis of a given person affects the ability to lead a consecrated life,“he says. He points out that the priest is committed to celibacy anyway, and every priest has the same temptations.

„What should probably weigh in order to enter the priesthood, in my opinion, is really the degree of maturity of the man in question, or to what extent a possible identity crisis enables or, on the contrary, indisposes a person to the priestly state,“ adds the psychologist.

On the contrary, the rector of the priestly seminary in Košice, Štefan Novotný, when asked why a homosexual-sentient man could not be a priest, answers that „church documents are created on the basis of long-term experience from dioceses, which is comprehensively reflected. And it seems that the experience collected from all over the world does not confirm the suitability or sustainability of such a solution“.