Vatican: Pope Francis speaks again about the admission of homosexuals in seminaries

On the afternoon of June 11, Pope Francis traveled to the Salesian Pontifical University to speak with some 200 priests between 11 and 39 years of ordination, with whom he once again discussed the issue of the admission of homosexuals in seminaries.

A note from the Vatican Press Office points out that “the Pope has spoken of the danger of ideologies in the Church and has returned to the issue of admitting people with homosexual tendencies to seminaries, highlighting the need to welcome them and accompany them in the Church and the prudential indication of the Dicastery for the Clergy regarding their entry into the seminary.”

The note does not specify which indication from the Dicastery for the Clergy the Holy Father was referring to.

Agree the instruction published in 2005 by the then Congregation for Catholic Education—the current Dicastery for Culture and Education—the Church “cannot admit to the seminary and Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture.” ”.

In recent weeks, Pope Francis has referred to the issue on several occasions.

At the beginning of June, the Italian newspaper The Messenger published a letter from the Holy Father, addressed to a young man excluded from the seminary for being homosexual, whom he encouraged to “move forward” with his vocation.

This statement contrasts with what Pope Francis said last May 20, when meeting with the Italian bishops, to whom he pointed out that “there is too much faggot in certain seminaries.”

Days later, on May 28, the Vatican published a statement indicating that Pope Francis “has never intended to offend or express himself in homophobic terms, and extends his apologies to those who have felt offended by the use of a term.” , referred by others.”

The meeting and dialogue with the priests of Rome

According to the Vatican Press Office, the Pontiff arrived at the Pontifical Salesian University this afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. (local time) and held a closed-door meeting with the priests in the Aula Magna Paolo VI.

According to Bishop Michele di Tolve, delegate of the area for the care of the diaconate, the clergy and religious life, these priests “are parish priests, prefects, chaplains, directors of curia offices, they deal with specific areas of pastoral care, such as charity, or hold teaching positions in colleges and universities.”

Along these lines, he referred to the priests as “the pillars of the pastoral and presbyteral life of the diocese, because they are the ones entrusted with the greatest responsibility.”

After a greeting from Bishop Di Tolve and a moment of prayer, dialogue began between Pope Francis and the priests present.

Among the topics discussed, the Holy Father referred to the pastoral care linked to the diocese, the identity of the priest and the beauty of being priests; in addition to reiterating his request that the parishes welcome “everyone, everyone, everyone!”

They also discussed the importance of accompanying those who suffer, particularly the elderly; and the need for a hospitable pastoral ministry and the difficulties in this regard in Rome have been highlighted.

“In the life of a priest the invisible is more important than the visible, because it is more dense, more painful,” said Pope Francis and added: “our job as priests is to go look for these people” because “the Church or “It is prophetic or it is clerical: it is up to us to choose.”

Europe, the Holy Land, Ukraine, Myanmar, the Congo, weapons and contraceptives were also topics of dialogue, as well as an encouragement to work for peace and the common good, through politics, which is “the highest form of the charity”.

This is the third meeting that Pope Francis has had with the priests of Rome in less than a month. It is worth remembering that on May 14 he met with the older ones and at the end of the same month he visited the younger ones.