GAYS AND THE PRIESTHOOD

There has been a lot of talk about the Catholic Church's problems with sexual abuse by priests and the cover-ups practiced by the Church administration for many years. Many priests have been put on trial, many have been thrown out of the priesthood (some in our own community) and many went to jail. Millions of dollars have been paid to victims. Some parishes have declared bankruptcy and the sex-abuse scandal is still not over.

The Vatican remained quiet for quite some time about the whole situation. Some in the Vatican claimed it is specifically an American problem and the American Church needs to take care of it.
Recently the Vatican under Benedict has started to make some noise. Most of what I have been hearing is about homosexuality and the priesthood.

I think the Vatican realizes that many of its priests are gay. That was OK in the past as long as they remained celibate. Now it appears, the Vatican is starting to connect the sex-abuse scandal in the U.S. with homosexuality and is starting a campaign to eliminate homosexuals from its ranks of seminarians (students for the priesthood) while leaving existing priests alone (for now).

A number of gay priests have come out to challenge the Vatican on this policy while certain theologians have come out in support of the Vatican policy.

One local theologian, Monica Migliorino Miller, PhD., associate professor of theology at St. Mary's College of Madonna University, states that the sex-abuse scandal is basically a homosexual problem. She bases this on the fact that the victims were basically boys over 13. Yes they were all boys but I am not sure about the ages, I think some were younger. One local letter writer mentioned that in those days alter boys were all boys and therefore easy targets but not of homosexual men but of pedophiles that can be either homosexual or heterosexual.

I don't pretend to know a lot about homosexuality but I think adult, normal males of either persuasion would know that molesting a boy or anybody for that matter, is somehow wrong. Pedophiles are people with an abnormal psychological makeup - they are mentally sick. I don't agree that the sex-abuse scandal is a homosexual problem.

I think the priesthood has, through the years, attracted a certain male element because of the celibacy requirement and the all male makeup of the priesthood.

Heterosexual young men with raging hormones would have a very hard time envisioning a life of celibacy. Some, overcome by spirituality, may succumb to the so called calling, but many of these probably leave the priesthood once they meet a female they cannot resist. It appears that there are many married priests that would immediately step back into their priestly roles as soon as the Vatican allows priests to marry.

Young men with unresolved sexuality may think of the priesthood as a forced (celibacy) non-sexuality. Some gay young men may consider celibacy as a way to stay out of sinful relationships and there are those that see the all male priesthood as an opportunity for many partners.

There probably is no valid data about the sexual orientation of the Catholic priesthood, mainly because priests probably would fabricate their answers to hide their true sexuality.

As far as the United States Catholic clergy goes, many say the majority are probably homosexual with obviously some pedophiles still lurking in the shadows.

Back to the Catholic theologian, Dr. Miller. She argues that priests should not be homosexual because the Church considers homosexuality as "objectively disordered" meaning that sexuality is inherently marital (procreation) and "other" sexuality therefore would be immoral.

She also argues that one priestly duty requires marriage counseling where the homosexual priest would have difficulty with the concept of marriage. I have been to this kind of counseling and I could never imagine ANY CELIBATE priest teaching me anything about relationships or marriage - they have NO EXPERIENCE.

Dr. Miller then goes on to talk about the priest as a husband of the Church or father to his flock and I am afraid that is where I turn the page - mumbojumbo.

No matter how Dr. Miller argues against homosexual priests, the fact of the matter is that most priests are homosexual or at least lean that way so we would have NO PRIESTS if the requirement was for heterosexuals only. We may get to the state of no priests eventually anyway - it sure is looking that way already.

Personally, I feel the way out of this jam is to allow heterosexual priests to marry (like other clergy around the world). That way you would have a NORMAL person looking over a flock of Catholics (adult and children).

Since the Vatican is adamant against married priests we have to live with the reality of gay priests - celibate and some not (as long as they are not pedophiles).

Can gays be good priests. As long as they are normal, mature adults, I don't see why not. Spirituality, I feel, is indeed a calling and as long as you feel that way, you belong in the priesthood.

Prediction: as there are fewer and fewer priests, married men will step into the priest's role, as they do now, out of necessity. The makeup of the Church will change because it has to...

Janusz