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Pope Francis says he's worried about homosexuality in the priesthood


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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/pope-francis-says-he-s-worried-about-homosexuality-priesthood-n942726

Pope Francis says he's worried about homosexuality in the priesthood

Francis was quoted as describing homosexuality within the walls of seminaries, convents and other religious places as "a very serious question."

Dec. 2, 2018 / 2:09 PM EST

By Reuters and The Associated Press

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VATICAN CITY — Men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the Catholic clergy, and priests who are gay should be celibate or leave rather than lead a double life, Pope Francis said in a new book.

Francis made the comments in a book-length interview with Spanish priest Fernando Prado called “The Strength of Vocation,” in which he discusses the challenges of being a priest or nun today.

The pope said in the book that homosexuality in the Church “is something that worries me." It is due to be published this week in several languages. An advance copy of the Spanish version was provided to NBC News by a Vatican spokesperson and the Italian version was made available to Reuters. The Vatican did not comment on the content of the book.

“The question of homosexuality is a very serious one,” he said, adding that those entrusted with training men to be priests must be certain that candidates are “humanly and emotionally mature” before they can be ordained.

"In our societies, it even seems homosexuality is fashionable. And this mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the church," Francis was quoted as telling his interviewer.

Francis is quoted in the book as commenting on a clergyman who had told him that having gays in Catholic religious housing "isn't so grave" because it's "only an expression of affection."

That reasoning "is in error," Francis said. "In consecrated life and priestly life, there is no room for this kind of affection."

“For this reason, the Church urges that persons with this rooted tendency not be accepted into (priestly) ministry or consecrated life,” he said.

He urged homosexuals who are already priests or nuns to be celibate and responsible to avoid creating scandal. “It is better that they leave the priesthood or the consecrated life rather than live a double life,” he said. The pope has warned Italian bishops in the past to vet seminarians closely and reject those they suspect might be gay.

Still, Francis, as he has in the past, stressed that gay Catholics contribute to the life of the church. He said the church must always remember that "they are persons who will live in the service of the church, of the Christian community, of the people of God. Let's never forget this perspective."

Francis in his papacy has sought to stress that while obeying church teachings, the faithful must also be compassionate and open to others with different views.

Catholic teaching considers homosexual activity sinful, and that everyone, except married heterosexual couples, should abstain from sex.

The mid-August interview with Francis was conducted less than two weeks before Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican’s former ambassador to the Vatican, threw the Church into turmoil with a bombshell statement against the pope and Vatican officials on Aug. 26.

Vigano said a “homosexual network” existed in the Vatican, whose members helped promote each other’s careers in the Church.

He also accused the pope of having ignored alleged sexual misconduct with adult male seminarians by former American cardinal Theodore McCarrick, 88.

The Vatican said Vigano’s accusations were riddled with “calumny and defamation.”

The Catholic Church has been haunted for more than two decades by evidence of thousands of cases of sexual abuse of minors by clergy around the world, in countries ranging from the United States to Australia, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Chile.

In July, McCarrick became the first cardinal to resign in nearly 100 years after U.S. Church officials said allegations made in a separate investigation that he had sexually abused a 16-year-old boy almost 50 years ago were credible and substantiated.

McCarrick has said he had no recollection of the alleged abuse of the minor, but has not commented on the allegations of misconduct with the seminarians, which allegedly took place decades ago.

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He'll have a very depleted and poorer clergy. Christ taught us the lived experience of coming from the margins of his society and reaching out to them.

At some stage in our lives, we are indeed from a margin and we should not forget it - young (me), disabled, in poor health, from an ethnic minority, a refugee, gay (that's me too), transgender, poor, homeless, mentally ill or with a personality disorder.........

It's the margins, our understanding of them, and through our love for them, which ultimately make us people who in giving of ourselves in their support, feed our souls to make us useful and practical citizens.

If you want to find Christ, go, seek him on the margins.
 

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On 12/3/2018 at 2:28 AM, acko said:

Remember when everyone was like: 'This pope is different, finally a breath of fresh air' :rotfl:

I will never understand how people can deceive themselves into believing that the words Religion, Progressive and Tolerance can exist in the same sentence. :doh:

I will say it again and again: religion is the worst cancer on earth.

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On 12/3/2018 at 8:28 AM, acko said:

Remember when everyone was like: 'This pope is different, finally a breath of fresh air' :rotfl:

 

:chuckle:

The first Jesuit Pope in 500 years of the Order's creation. For anyone who has even a vague idea of who the Jesuits are, how they came about with "Soldier of Christ"  "Saint" Ignatius of Loyola (hello Loyola Marymount and the likes) and how they operate and the rape, pilfering, orchestrated political/ financial crisis and bloodshed they have been responsible for all over the world for centuries it was never a sign of good things to come

He's responsible for so many political deaths in Argentina alone and don't get me started on his child abuse cover up shtick which is du rigueur for any clergy member from the top down to the last parrish friar

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On 12/7/2018 at 11:17 AM, Martin B. said:

I will never understand how people can deceive themselves into believing that the words Religion, Progressive and Tolerance can exist in the same sentence. :doh:

I will say it again and again: religion is the worst cancer on earth.

The people that take religious verse literally and seriously to discriminate against others and spread hate are kidding themselves.  They are cherry picking what they want. It also says in religious texts that people should be stoned for working on the sabbath, people can own slaves and should sacrifice animals.  People that use religion to discriminate against women, gay people and different races are just bigots and hide behind their religion to push their own agendas.  

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So, I remember Australia's cardinal George Pell once debated Richard Dawkins, and argued that only people that had faith had a moral compass for deciding what is right and wrong.

So, yesterday Cardinal Pell was found guilty of "historical sexual offences" - he molested some boys back in the 70s or 80s - BUT due to a suppression order sought by his defence lawyers, the Australian press is not allowed to report that he was even found guilty. The Pope has quietly not renewed his appointment to his private council, but he remains a cardinal and holds some other position in the vatican. My oh my the evil that religion has done to this world.

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3 hours ago, Paul said:

So, I remember Australia's cardinal George Pell once debated Richard Dawkins, and argued that only people that had faith had a moral compass for deciding what is right and wrong.

So, yesterday Cardinal Pell was found guilty of "historical sexual offences" - he molested some boys back in the 70s or 80s - BUT due to a suppression order sought by his defence lawyers, the Australian press is not allowed to report that he was even found guilty. The Pope has quietly not renewed his appointment to his private council, but he remains a cardinal and holds some other position in the vatican. My oh my the evil that religion has done to this world.

Paul, the suppression order is useless anyway. Everyone knows about Pell but is has been weirdly humorous seeing all of the media in Australia referring to it  without mentioning his name or the charges. The Catholic Church has so much to answer for re sexual, physical and mental child abuse and here they are again, instead complaining about homosexuality.   :banghead:

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5 hours ago, Jazzy Jan said:

Paul, the suppression order is useless anyway. Everyone knows about Pell but is has been weirdly humorous seeing all of the media in Australia referring to it  without mentioning his name or the charges. The Catholic Church has so much to answer for re sexual, physical and mental child abuse and here they are again, instead complaining about homosexuality.   :banghead:

Lying, manipulation, sexism and homophobia have been the foundation of the Catholic Church for over 2000 years. There is little chance that they modifies this proven recipe still very effective with their current base in Africa and South America.

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