Italian bishop on homosexual priests: It is not a correct reading

The Catholic Church in Italy generated controversy by publishing a new document last week on the training of priests that some media and members of the clergy interpreted as an opening towards the ordination of homosexual people.

The Bishop of Fiesole, Stefano Manetti, president of the episcopal commission for the clergy and consecrated life, came out against these interpretations. clarifying in the Catholic newspaper Avvenire that “it is not a correct reading” of the text, entitled “The formation of priests in the Churches in Italy” and published on January 9 on the website of the Dicastery for the Clergy.

Paragraph 44 of the text states, among other things, that “the objective of the formation of the candidate for the priesthood in the emotional-sexual sphere is the ability to accept as a gift, choose freely and responsibly live chastity in celibacy.”

Following the dissemination of the text, Jesuit priest James Martin, promoter of the LGBTQ Outreach apostolate, reacted on social network: “This is the first time I have seen in a document approved by the Vatican the suggestion that the discernment of whether a homosexual man can enter the seminary cannot be determined simply by his sexual orientation.”

“My reading of this (and it is only my reading) is that if a homosexual man is able to lead a healthy, chaste and celibate life, he can be considered for admission to the seminary. So, as I see it, this is a step forward,” added the Jesuit.

That same Friday, the newspaper The New York Times published in an article that “the Vatican allows Italian homosexuals to train to be priests, if they remain celibate,” and that “seminary candidates should not be disqualified for their sexual orientation, according to the new guidelines of the Church in Italy.”

According to Italian Bishop Manetti, whose statements were also published on January 10, this approach “It is not a correct reading because the paragraph reiterates the norms of the teaching profession from the beginning”.

According to Avvenire, paragraph 44 “reiterates, word for word, what was established in number 199 of the document issued by the then Congregation for the Clergy, entitled “El don de la vocation presbiteral. Fundamental System of Priestly Institution” of December 8, 2016 and which in turn takes up the content of the Instruction published by the then Congregation for Catholic Education in 2005”.

Both documents state that people with “deeply rooted” homosexual tendencies cannot be admitted to seminaries.

The cited text says the following: “In relation to people with homosexual tendencies who approach the Seminaries, or who discover this situation during formation, in coherence with the Magisterium, ‘the Church, deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit to the Seminary and Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture. These people are, indeed, in a situation that seriously hinders a correct relationship with men and women.’”

Avvenire indicates that the novelty of Thursday’s document lies in the “discernment” of the candidates, especially in the first three years of training.

“We intend to put the person first by helping candidates for the priesthood to clarify within themselves… an accompaniment to self-knowledge that is often lacking in young generations and that does not exclude even the young people who come to the Seminaries,” concludes the Bishop of Fiesole quoted by Avvenire.