The Italian Church allows gays access to seminaries as long as they “choose to live in chastity and celibacy”

The display of “an orientation to a celibate life” will be the main argument for the admission of future priests in Italian seminaries, which leaves the door open to homosexuals, who will not be excluded as such, but only those who are not. commit to practicing celibacy.

“In the formation process, when reference is made to homosexual tendencies” it is “advisable not to reduce discernment only to this aspect,” is indicated in the new guidelines of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) for admission to seminaries published in your website.

Thus, “the objective of the formation of the candidate for the priesthood in the emotional-sexual sphere is the capacity to welcome as a gift, freely choose and responsibly live chastity in celibacy“, while reiterating that “the Church, while deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit into the Seminary and the Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality.”

The new guidelines also include that those admitted have never been involved in cases of abusethat psychology and, in certain cases, psychotherapy can be used, in addition to allowing women intervene also in the formation of future priests, “integrating the feminine ‘gaze’ and judgment in the evaluation”

The norms, approved by the Vatican Congregation for the Clergy and promulgated by the head of the CEI, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, on January 1, were the subject of an internal debate behind closed doors last May, which reached the media after that a controversial phrase from the Pope was leaked about “there was already a lot of faggot” in the seminars.

Unos días después, la Santa Sede tuvo que excusarse: el pontífice “nunca tuvo la intención de ofender o expresarse en términos homofóbos, y pide disculpas a quienes se sintieron ofendidos”, publicó la oficina de prensa del Vaticano tras la enorme polémica creada por esa frase.

El papa quiso así reiterar la posición de la Iglesia con una instrucción del dicasterio del Clero que en 2005, con Benedicto XVI, y confirmada en 2016 con Francisco establecía que “la Iglesia, respetando profundamente a las personas en cuestión, no puede admitir en el seminario y en las Sagradas Órdenes a quienes practican la homosexualidad, tienen tendencias homosexuales profundamente arraigadas o apoyan la llamada cultura gay“.