The Vatican allows Italian gay men to enter seminaries, if they remain celibate

The Vatican agreed New guidelines for Italy Which states that an applicant cannot be rejected for admission to the seminary simply because he is gay, as long as he remains celibate.

The guidelines state that seminary directors should consider sexual orientation as only one aspect of a candidate’s personality.

It does not change the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church that “homosexual tendencies” are “intrinsically disordered,” and that men with “deep-rooted” homosexual tendencies should not become priests. But they make clear that if a candidate remains chaste, his sexual orientation should not prevent him from entering the priesthood.

The Catholic Church has For years he struggled with ambivalence that The priesthood has long been a refuge for gay menWhile the teachings of the Church reject homosexual relations.

Bishops in other countries, where homosexuality is regularly condemned, are unlikely to consider guidelines similar to those of the Italian bishops.

The guidelines — adopted by the Italian bishops’ conference in November and approved by the Vatican’s clerical office — went into effect Thursday for a three-year trial period. It covers various aspects of a candidate’s years in seminaries, schools that prepare men for the priesthood.

“This is the first time I have seen in a document approved by the Vatican indicate that the distinction about whether a gay man can enter seminary cannot be determined simply by his sexual orientation,” Rev. James Martin said. High profile Supporter of making the church more welcoming to gay Catholics.

Father Martin, who is based in New York, added: “My reading of this, and it is only my reading, is that if a gay man is able to live a chaste, celibate, emotionally healthy life, he might be considered for admission. To the seminary.”

The thorniness of this issue became clear last year, when reports emerged Pope Francis used a homophobic slur When responding to the Italian bishops at a conference in May on the admission of gay men to seminaries.

In his remarks, Francis said there was already too much homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, using pejorative terms to describe it, according to bishops who attended the conference. The Vatican later apologized.

In June, the Pope was accused again Repeated anti-gay slurs During a meeting with priests in Rome.

Frequent use of clay It shocked many Catholics who embraced Francis’s often inclusive message urging the church to be more welcoming to members of the LGBTQ community. He met frequently with gay rights activists, and in 2023 decided to allow priests He blesses same-sex couples – But he does not bless their unions.

Father Martin, who met Francis after last year’s events, later shared a Post on social media “With his permission to share this, the Holy Father said that he knows many good and holy seminarians and priests and celibates with homosexual tendencies,” he said.

However, Francis has repeatedly expressed concern that gay candidates for the priesthood could end up having affairs and living what he described as a double life.

In 2016, he greenlighted a document on priestly vocations stating that men with “deep” homosexual tendencies should not be allowed to enter seminaries, paraphrasing a 2005 document approved by Benedict XVI.

Religious directors have interpreted these instructions in different ways, but the new guidelines provide some clarity.

The guidelines, published on the website of the Italian Bishops’ Conference on Thursday, cite the 2016 document’s ban on men with deep-seated homosexual tendencies, but also state: “When referring to homosexual tendencies in the formation process, it is also appropriate not to reduce discrimination To this aspect alone, but, as with any candidate, to understand its meaning within the overall picture of the young man’s personality.

The guidelines also say that “the goal of the formation of a candidate for the priesthood in the affective-sexual sphere is the ability to welcome as a gift, to choose freely and to live chastity responsibly in celibacy.” The sections of the guidelines regarding the importance of celibacy do not differ based on sexual orientation.

“It’s a step forward,” said Francis DiBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based group that supports gay Catholics.

“It clarifies previous ambiguous statements about gay candidates for seminaries, which caused so much fear and discrimination. This clarification treats gay candidates in the same way as heterosexual candidates. This kind of equal treatment is what the church should aim for regarding all LGBTQ+ issues.