screening to prevent gays in priesthood, page 1

screening to prevent gays in priesthood

www.newsdesk.org

Sex-abuse cases have scandalized the Catholic Church in recent years, costing them hundreds of million dollars in settlements.

Catholic seminaries have been urged to screen the candidates for certain psychological traits -- including "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" -- that could later compromise their roles, the Irish Times reports.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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Catholic seminaries have been urged to screen the candidates for certain psychological traits -- including "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" -- that could later compromise their roles, the Irish Times reports.

I think that with everything else that is going on in the world between religion and the gay community, this is surely just going to fan the flames. these comments from the vatican are clearly linking homosexuality with pedophilia.

with prop 8 being high in the public arena at the moment this type of announcement can't be good for both sides of the arguement.

Mods: if this needs to be in different forum please move thanks.

www.newsdesk.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

Although it is my personal opinion that the Catholic Church has been completely wrong-headed about homosexuality in general and the matter of ordaining as priests men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" in addition to sexually active homosexuals, the newsdesk.org summation of the article in the Irish Times is really misleading.

It implies that men with homosexual tendencies will not be permitted to enter seminary, making no mention of:

Speaking at a news conference in the Vatican, however, prefect for Catholic education Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski said the use of psychological tests should become neither "obligatory" nor "ordinary practice".

article in the Irish Times

Moreover, the reference to the financial burden of lawsuits against the Church is added by the NewsDesk reporter, and not found in the Irish Times article.

As far as I can find, the new suggestion makes no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia, but just continues the Church's (in my opinion) misguided belief that homosexuality itself is a matter of dysfunction in personal relationships that may require additional support or a pause in the discernment process:

This new document argues that if seminary students demonstrate areas of grave immaturity, then "the path of formation will have to be interrupted". Such areas of "immaturity" included deep-seated homosexual tendencies, unclear sexual identity, difficulty with the celibate life, excessive rigidity of character and lack of freedom in relations.

So it's not just homosexuals they're targeting, but any men who may have particular difficulty with the celibate life – and in their opinion that includes homosexuals.

And the decision is not based on financial considerations or on the belief that homosexuals are pederasts.

[edit on 11/23/08 by americandingbat]

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