http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4480588.stm

Vatican renews ban on gay priests

The Vatican has published long-awaited guidelines which reaffirm that active homosexuals and "supporters of gay culture" may not become priests.

But it treats homosexuality as a "tendency", not an orientation, and says those who have overcome it can begin training to become priests.

The new rules will leave many Catholics confused about what is and is not allowed, the BBC's Peter Gould says.

The new guidelines were prompted by a 2002 sex abuse scandal among US clergy.

The 18-paragraph document was published with little fanfare on Tuesday morning. The Vatican is not offering further explanation at this time.

It was leaked last week and published online by an Italian Catholic news website, Adista.

The guidelines make no reference to current priests, but only to those about to join a seminary.

Critics have already objected that gay seminarians might feel they have no choice but to lie about their sexual orientation.

Others say the new rules might lead to a dramatic drop in the number of vocations, especially in countries like the US, where more than 25% of Catholic priests are believed to be non-practising homosexuals.

'Grave obstacle'

The document, drafted by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education and approved by Pope Benedict on 31 August, describes homosexual acts as "grave sins" that cannot be justified under any circumstances.

"If a candidate practises homosexuality, or presents deep-seated homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director as well as his confessor have the duty to dissuade him in conscience from proceeding towards ordination," it says.

"Such persons in fact find themselves in a situation that presents a grave obstacle to a correct relationship with men and women."

But the paper also stresses the Church's deep respect for homosexuals, who, it says, should by no means be discriminated against.

Homosexuals had already been barred from priesthood in a 1961 document.

The latest guidelines are the outcome of a review ordered by the late Pope John Paul II in the wake of the highly damaging abuse scandals in the US, in which several men accused priests of having abused them as teenagers.

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And they wonder why church attendances are down. Damn, grow up and move into the 21st century. I'm surprised the Catholic Church doesn't still burn people as witches, that's how out of touch with reality they are.

The message is clear:

If you molest kids, we let you off. If you're gay, you're going to hell...

http://forums.theskyiscrape.com/vie ... hp?t=24896

http://forums.theskyiscrape.com/vie ... hp?t=26020

I think the real lesson here is, everybody, just do whatever you want.

On another note, the only priest I ever liked turned out to be gay.

why was this prompted by the sexual abuse scandle? gay priests and pedophile priests are two completely different things. if anything, the gay priests are having sex with each other, not little kids.

I think you'd be surprised by how many people believe that homosexuality and pedophilia are joined at the hip.

it doesnt make any sense at all. if gays are attracted to kids, are straight people attracted to the elderly?

I know it doesn't make any sense. I actually got into a relatively heated argument with my brother-in-law's wife's father about it a few years ago. I cannot attempt to explain the logic involved in this association, because it just boggles my mind.

i guess people think that being attracted to a boy is the same thing as being attracted to a man. but again, if im attracted to women, does that mean i will get off to little girls too?

I think it's best to not apply logic to this association. If anything, I think it has to do with people being grossed out by both pedophilia and homosexuality. Since in their minds they're both reprehensible acts, the people who commit the acts are one and the same. They'll pay no attention to the fact that homosexuals find pedophilia disgusting, or that pedophiles would find the act of sex with an adult of the same sex disgusting.

I always thought being a Priest was gay in general. I didn't realize the church distinguished between actual homosexuals, and those that dress like them.