Vatican approves Italian guidelines for gay priests
The Vatican has approved new guidelines that opens the door for gay men in Italy to become priests. The New York Times on Jan.
10 reported the Vatican approved the guidelines the Italian Bishop’s Conference adopted last November. The guidelines specifically stipulate seminaries cannot reject applicants simply because of their sexual orientation, as long as they remain celibate.
They will remain in place for what the Times described as a “3-year trial period.” “This development is a big step forward,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ Catholic organization, in a press release. “It clarifies previous ambiguous statements about gay seminary candidates, which viewed them with suspicion.
This ambiguity caused lots of fear and discrimination in the church, way beyond the arena of seminary admissions.” “This new clarification treats gay candidates in the same way that heterosexual candidates are treated,” added DeBernardo. “That type of equal treatment is what the church should be aiming for in regards to all LGBTQ+ issues.” The Vatican in 2016 reaffirmed gay men becoming priests. “The church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture,’” reads a document the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy released that Pope Francis approved.
