Catholic Church Reaffirms Ban on Gay Priests

[rug]

By HRC staff
December 8, 2016
Post submitted by Helen Parshall, HRC Diversity & Inclusion Program Assistant

Yesterday, Pope Francis signed off on the release of “The Gift of Priestly Vocation,” a document that reaffirms the Catholic Church’s 2005 ban on gay men entering the priesthood.

Written by the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy, this document aims to offer guidelines for priests and seminarians across numerous aspects, including sexual orientation.

The document offers unfounded and hurtful concerns regarding the ordination of gay men, stating “such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.”

“If someone is willing to commit to the role and rules of Catholic priesthood, regardless of sexual orientation, they should be allowed to follow in the steps of Christ,” said Lisbeth Melendez Rivera, HRC Director of Latinx & Catholic Initiatives. “It is clearly contrary to the philosophy of the Church to say that sexual orientation is the only caveat by which someone is allowed to receive a calling to the priesthood.”

http://www.hrc.org/blog/catholic-church-reaffirms-ban-on-gay-priests

http://www.clerus.va/content/dam/clerus/Ratio%20Fundamentalis/The%20Gift%20of%20the%20Priestly%20Vocation.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/NewWaysMinistry/posts/10153839528695666