Gay men can now become Catholic priests but only if they don’t have sex, a new Vatican guideline suggests.
In a shocking adjustment to practice in the Catholic Church, the new guidelines from Italian bishops will allow gay men to enter seminaries.
The new guidelines, approved by Italian bishops, say openly gay men can now train to become priests. However, they will have to remain celibate – a rule that already applies to heterosexual priests.
“When referring to homosexual tendencies in the formation process, it is also appropriate not to reduce the discernment to this aspect alone, but … to understand its meaning within the whole framework of the young person’s personality,” the guidelines say.
It’s not clear if the new guidelines will be reflected in other countries.
However, previous teachings view homosexual activity as ‘intrinsically disordered,’ while an instruction from 2016 said men who have ‘deep-seated homosexual tendencies’ cannot become priests.
Now the new guidelines say that the priest candidate’s sexual preferences should be considered in the application process but only as one aspect of personality, Euronews reports.
The guide says: ‘When referring to homosexual tendencies, it’s also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the global framework of the young person’s personality.’
All women regardless of their sexuality remain barred from becoming Catholic priests. Only men can become a Pope.
Pope Francis has previously been slammed for adopting a more accepting tone towards the LGBT+ community.
Previously, he has publicly said that ‘being a homosexual is not a crime.’
He also instructed priests to bless same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis, but the admittance of gay men into the priesthood has remained a taboo subject.
