Romans: Gay Doc Out Nov. 29
Tornielli writes that he has seen the document, the title of which he gives as "Instruction on Criteria of Vocational Discernment regarding Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of their Admission to the Priesthood and to Holy Orders." Tornielli says that it's eight pages long, and gives the publication date as Nov. 29.NCR reported last week that the date would be late November.
Tornielli's piece confirms and adds details to previous NCR reports, to wit: Rather than an outright ban on the admission of homosexuals, the document will disqualify "those who practice homosexuality, who possess deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, or who sustain the so-called 'gay culture.' "
To make the distinction between "deeply rooted tendencies" and transitory behavior, the document indicates that a candidate should be celibate for at least three years prior to ordination to the diaconate, which usually precedes ordination to the priesthood.
It is up to bishops, seminary rectors and religious superiors, according to this summary of the document, to ascertain the "affective maturity" of candidates for the priesthood.
And reasonable people can live with that.
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posted by Rocco Palmo at 10:22
1 Comments:
Well, of course, Liz. I remember reading that Gerald Coleman either imposed or wanted to impose a five-year chastity requirement on everyone when he was head of the seminary in San Francisco.
In any event, I don't know if homosexuals ought to have more heightened scrutiny than a heterosexual counterpart, but it certainly requires a different scrutiny because the issues are different.
The gloom and doomers already despairing at CWNEWS, and no doubt Andrew Sullivan will complain and use it as another opportunity to make cheap shots at the Holy Father. But, I do agree it seems on the surface eminently reasonable and fair to all parties.
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