One aspect to the recent City Newspaper article I skipped over was the issue of homosexuals entering the priesthood. This story has been picked up by other sites including LifeSiteNews
Clark referenced a Vatican document, presumably the 2005 document discussing homosexuals and the priesthood put out by the Congregation for Catholic Education (CCE), saying that it “left the impression that under no circumstances could a person of gay orientation be ordained a priest.” He added that “that’s not so.”
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While stating that persons with homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect and sensitivity” and that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided,” the CCE document stated that “this dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’”
I suppose the term in question is “deep-seated homosexual tendencies”. Clark uses the term “person of gay orientation” which usually implies that being gay is something ingrained in that person. If that’s the case, then I would think you could equate “person of gay orientation” and “deep-seated homosexual tendencies”. In which case Clark is misrepresenting what the CCE document says.
Tags: Bishop Clark, Homosexuality
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Here is what the Holy Father said about this topic:
As is usually the case, our bishop believes that his opinion supersedes that of the Church. In one more year his opinion will not matter at all.
He talks of people with homosexual tendencies like someone tip toeing through the tulips. IT’s anything but that. Someone with those tendenciess struggles with them his whole life. And the homosexuals Clark is speaking about probably have not encountered the group COURAGE. Our worst habits come out during times of stress and strife. The worry is that homosexuals will revert or yield to sexual temptations in times like that. And the priesthood has all tooo many preiods of stress.
Clark just wants to ordain homosexuals in spite of all the knowledge available.
It is amazing how naive some people are. There are a number of gay priests in the Church today–two very prominent so-called “traditional” priests–whom I have heard preach very strong anti-homosexual homilies.
Just because a man has homosexual orientation does not mean a) that he is a pedophile; b) he won’t honor his vow of celibacy. The vow of celibacy is not only a renunciation of marriage and children, but also a renunciation of romantic or sexual intimacies/attachments.