Catholics Blast Gay Priest Ban

National Call To Action

The following is a Press Release - November 23, 2005
Statement from Call To Action spokespersons
Linda Pieczynski and Paul Scarbrough

Rather than implement the changes recommended by the National Review Board to assure Catholics that the child abuse scandal will never be repeated, the Vatican has instead decided to scapegoat gay priests by unjustly issuing the instruction to ban gay men from the priesthood. At a time of such turmoil in the Church, given the priest shortage and sexual abuse scandal, this is a grievous blow to gay priests, bishops and those who support them. How did the Pope decide that God has stopped inviting gay men to the priesthood after 2000 years? Gay men like the late Father Mychal Judge who died on 9/11, have faithfully served the Church throughout history and currently make up between 30 and 50% of our priests. It is incredible that after deciding not to take any new approaches to address the priest shortage at the recent Synod in Rome, the Vatican will now discourage gay celibate men from the priesthood. This edict will not stop gay men from entering the seminary but will force them back into the closet which will foster secrecy, deceit and unhealthy sexual maturation, the very characteristics condemned by the National Review Board.

Instead of waiting for the results of the comprehensive study on the causes and context of the child abuse scandal commissioned by the U.S bishops, Rome has chosen to act in a way which lays the foundation for a new crisis in the future by subtly blaming gay men instead of changing the way bishops are chosen which the National Review Board found was one of the main reasons for the crisis. There are no credible studies which show that gay men are more likely to molest children than heterosexual men or that having a homosexual orientation is a psychological disorder. Allowing men to enter the priesthood who have “overcome” their homosexual tendencies is to perpetuate the myth that homosexuality is chosen rather than innate and is an extremely damaging and dangerous requirement.

To profess that this rule is being implemented to protect gays from the temptations of seminary life is ridiculous. The Vatican could use the same logic to ban women from Catholic colleges or women teachers from seminaries. Someday this outrageous edict will be relegated to the same dustbin of history wherein the Church’s characterization of women as “misbegotten men” now resides. Until then we pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten the hearts of our leaders and forgive them their profound ignorance.
 

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