The following quote is taken from the excellent article by Peter Tatchell, that I urge you to read in its entirety, entitled, "The Vatican's gay witch-hunt continues: The Pope's plan for psychological tests to purge gay men from the priesthood is a new low."
"Commenting on the new Vatican document, Cardinal Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, advises:
'The candidate does not necessarily have to practice homosexuality. He can even be without sin. But if he has this deeply seated tendency, he cannot be admitted to priestly ministry precisely because of the nature of the priesthood, in which a spiritual paternity is carried out. Here we are not talking about whether he commits sins, but whether this deeply rooted tendency remains … It's not simply a question of observing celibacy as such. In this case, it would be (required for him to have) a heterosexual tendency, a normal tendency."
[For the full article, see here.]
I don't presume to understand what this Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church is talking about, save to say that it seems to me that the so-called "psychological screening" of all new applicants for the priesthood, is another mere diversion to keep people's minds off of the wide-spread sexual abuse of young people by RC Clergy and the coverups by assorted Bishops who would send many of the discovered offenders off to other parishes, and they would again be free to prey on other young people.
Gay people are being wrongly and sinfully blamed for the sexual abuse scandals of the Roman Catholic Church when, in fact, the kind of people that they attract to the priesthood are required to suppress one of the most primal urges we all have: the sexual urge.
And the RC hierarchy doesn't seem to even stop and think that it might well be that suppression, and many of the kinds of people it attracts who would willingly suffer that suppression, despite all the rationalizations given by the RC hierarchy to justify that suppression (a forced suppression that the Apostle Paul explicitly forbids--1Timothy 4:1-3), that might be one of the root causes of their ephebophilia scandals.
Psychologically healthy people are comfortable with their sexuality and seek to express it in healthy ways that don't victimize others. The RC Church is virtually guaranteeing the attraction and retention of a good deal of psychologically unhealthy people who deny their sexuality and when the pressure sufficiently builds, "convenient" and vulnerable targets suffer the results of that suppression by being emotionally and sexually victimized.
2 comments:
Very interesting and encouraging article and material. I am a retired gay Priest of the Anglican/Episcopal Church and have just recently published an autobiography titled "A Priest's Tale" (Amazon) which chronicles my struggle to find identity and to reconcile the concepts of the flesh and the spirit, which I fully believe are not only compatible but essential for Christians. Many thanks for your good and thoughtful work! Donald+
Thank you so much, Donald, for your encouragement, and for your sharing your experiences in reconciling spirituality with sexuality. I like what Troy Perry said in this regard: "Jesus came to take away our sins; not our sexuality!"
I personally think that much spiritual and temporal suffering is due to the teaching of the fallacy that one must alienate a core part of him/herself, suppress its healthy manifestation, in order to "be right with God." I view the promulgation of that fallacy as dangerous, as to be fully spiritual, in my opinion, is to healthfully integrate our spirituality with all other aspects of our lives, including the sexual.
Your teaching and witness concerning this integration, I'm sure, is of invaluable help to others, especially to impressionable young people who do not sufficiently hear this crucial message that you carry. My very best wishes, Jerry.
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