In new book on clergy and religious life, Pope Francis addresses homosexuality
“In our societies it even seems that homosexuality is fashionable and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the Church,” says Francis in an upcoming book-length interview.
Pope Francis arrives Nov. 29 for a Vatican meeting with participants attending the International Convention of the Rectors and Pastoral Workers of Shrines. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Vatican City, Nov 30, 2018 / 05:00 pm (CNA).- In a book-length interview to be published next week, Pope Francis addressed gifts and challenges for clerical and religious vocations, among them the challenge of homosexuality in the clergy.
“The issue of homosexuality is a very serious issue that must be adequately discerned from the beginning with the candidates, if that is the case. We have to be exacting. In our societies it even seems that homosexuality is fashionable and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the Church,” the pope says in the book “The Strength of a Vocation,” set to be released Dec. 3 in ten languages.
In an excerpt from the book, released Friday by Religión Digital, the pope said he is concerned about the issue of evaluating and forming people with homosexual tendencies in the clergy and consecrated life.
“This is something I am concerned about, because perhaps at one time it did not receive much attention,” he said.
Francis said that with candidates for the priesthood or religious life “we have to take great care during formation in the human and affective maturity. We have to seriously discern, and listen to the voice of experience that the Church also has. When care is not taken in discerning all of this, problems increase. As I said before, it can happen that at the time perhaps they didn’t exhibit [that tendency], but later on it comes out.”
“The issue of homosexuality is a very serious issue that must be adequately discerned from the beginning with the candidates, if that is the case,” the pope reiterated.
Francis recalled that one time “I had a somewhat scandalized bishop here who told me that he had found out that in his diocese, a very large diocese, there were several homosexual priests and that he had to deal with all that, intervening, above all, in the formation process, to form a different group of clergy.
“It’s a reality we can’t deny. There is no lack of cases in the consecrated life either. A religious told me that, on a canonical visit to one of the provinces in his congregation, he was surprised. He saw that there were good young students and even some already professed religious who were gay,” he related.
The pope said that the religious “wondered if it were an issue and asked me if there was something wrong with that. Francis said he was told by one religious superior that the issue was not “that serious, it’s just an expression of an affection.”
“That’s a mistake,” Francis warned. “It’s not just an expression of an affection. In consecrated and priestly life, there’s no room for that kind of affection. Therefore, the Church recommends that people with that kind of ingrained tendency should not be accepted into the ministry or consecrated life. The ministry or the consecrated life is not his place.”
We “have to urge homosexual priests, and men and women religious to live celibacy with integrity, and above all, that they be impeccably responsible, trying to never scandalize either their communities or the faithful holy people of God by living a double life. It’s better for them to leave the ministry or the consecrated life rather than to live a double life.”
The pope was asked in the book if there are limits to what can be tolerated in formation.
“Of course. When there are candidates with neurosis, marked imbalances, difficult to channel not even with therapeutic help, they shouldn’t be accepted to either the priesthood or the religious life, They should be helped to take another direction (but they should not be abandoned. They should be guided, but they should not be admitted. Let us always bear in mind that they are persons who are going to live in the service of the Church, of the Christian community, of the people of God. Let’s not forget that perspective. We have to care for them so they are psychologically and affectively healthy,” the pope replied.
The book is the transcript of an interview conducted by Fr. Fernando Prado, director of the Claretian publishing house in Madrid.
This article was originally published by CNA’s sister agency, ACI Prensa. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pope Francis is quite right here, and I would like to extend his point to Catholicism in general. -In our societies it even seems that sin is fashionable and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the Church.- This has been the problem with most ecclesial communities for the past 50 years, that, rather than rejecting sin, they accept it because society rather than theology is thought to have the truth about sin. In the true Church, the tolerance for abortion, sex outside of heterosexual marriage, fornication, usury, and so forth are accepted as goods by many of its 'members', and I blame the attitude unleashed by Vatican II that, instead of having a defensive Church as She had been since at least Trent, She was duped into being cozy with the modern world. The modern world is based on Enlightenment values, many of which are fundamentally opposed to those of Jesus Christ.
He talks as if he is having trouble deciding where go for dinner. What he actually has is a group of people that are dangerous to have loose on open society. It is actually as if he planning to remodel an old church and has dicovered two tons of asbestos insulation to dispose of.
Maybe it’s neither fashionable nor inherently evil. Maybe it’s just the way many people are — your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers — and you can see that they’re otherwise normal people who are different in one way. Maybe we can all see that.
Man is not inherently evil, yet many people if not all do sin. Everyone sins in different ways, because each person is different from everyone else. People are tempted by different things. Some sin by extramarital affairs, others by fornication, still others by homosexual sodomy. But none of these temptations or sins define the person. Each person is made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore called to holiness, not to give in to temptation and sin. As Cdl Muller said recently, 'There are no "homosexuals" as a category. There are concrete people who have certain tendencies, and there are temptations.' It is all about temptation and sin.
For those who are working toward the ordained and consecrated life and in the environment of the formation process, and who are of homosexual inclination, the close proximity to others of the same sex brings about a greater risk for temptation and of committing very serious sinful actions. There is also the reality that some of those in positions of authority with this inclination will commit sins with those below them and make things difficult for those who refuse their overtures. We are seeing the consequences of this in the Church today.
All sexual sins which are not in accord with what God intended and requires of us are serious, whether committed by heterosexuals or homosexuals. At least heterosexuals can avail themselves of sexual acts which are licit. That is not something homosexuals if they remain such, can do. So in addition to the sin, they cannot avoid bringing public scandal with them which compounds their sin, since by their sexual inclination or orientation, their sinful actions, if not publically known, can be reasonably inferred, and so scandal for them is always in attendance. This behavior or lifestyle can never be condoned or accepted since it can never be in accord with what God expects of us. And certainly not when it comes to those in the ordained or consecrated life.
The risk to the Church, the scandal that results, and the damage caused to the Body of Christ are just too great.
We as members of the Church should have a compassionate and understanding response to individuals who struggle with the homosexual inclination and want to live chaste lives. This behavior or lifestyle can ever be condoned or accepted, however. We can and should pray for these individuals.
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I believe the saying "actions speak louder than words" may apply here.
Pope Francis is quite right here, and I would like to extend his point to Catholicism in general. -In our societies it even seems that sin is fashionable and that mentality, in some way, also influences the life of the Church.-
This has been the problem with most ecclesial communities for the past 50 years, that, rather than rejecting sin, they accept it because society rather than theology is thought to have the truth about sin. In the true Church, the tolerance for abortion, sex outside of heterosexual marriage, fornication, usury, and so forth are accepted as goods by many of its 'members', and I blame the attitude unleashed by Vatican II that, instead of having a defensive Church as She had been since at least Trent, She was duped into being cozy with the modern world. The modern world is based on Enlightenment values, many of which are fundamentally opposed to those of Jesus Christ.
He talks as if he is having trouble deciding where go for dinner. What he actually has is a group of people that are dangerous to have loose on open society. It is actually as if he planning to remodel an old church and has dicovered two tons of asbestos insulation to dispose of.
The New York Slimes and the fake catholics will no longer love PF
Maybe it’s neither fashionable nor inherently evil. Maybe it’s just the way many people are — your friends, your family, your neighbors, your co-workers — and you can see that they’re otherwise normal people who are different in one way. Maybe we can all see that.
Man is not inherently evil, yet many people if not all do sin. Everyone sins in different ways, because each person is different from everyone else. People are tempted by different things. Some sin by extramarital affairs, others by fornication, still others by homosexual sodomy. But none of these temptations or sins define the person. Each person is made in the image and likeness of God, and therefore called to holiness, not to give in to temptation and sin. As Cdl Muller said recently, 'There are no "homosexuals" as a category. There are concrete people who have certain tendencies, and there are temptations.' It is all about temptation and sin.
For those who are working toward the ordained and consecrated life and in the environment of the formation process, and who are of homosexual inclination, the close proximity to others of the same sex brings about a greater risk for temptation and of committing very serious sinful actions. There is also the reality that some of those in positions of authority with this inclination will commit sins with those below them and make things difficult for those who refuse their overtures. We are seeing the consequences of this in the Church today.
All sexual sins which are not in accord with what God intended and requires of us are serious, whether committed by heterosexuals or homosexuals. At least heterosexuals can avail themselves of sexual acts which are licit. That is not something homosexuals if they remain such, can do. So in addition to the sin, they cannot avoid bringing public scandal with them which compounds their sin, since by their sexual inclination or orientation, their sinful actions, if not publically known, can be reasonably inferred, and so scandal for them is always in attendance. This behavior or lifestyle can never be condoned or accepted since it can never be in accord with what God expects of us. And certainly not when it comes to those in the ordained or consecrated life.
The risk to the Church, the scandal that results, and the damage caused to the Body of Christ are just too great.
We as members of the Church should have a compassionate and understanding response to individuals who struggle with the homosexual inclination and want to live chaste lives. This behavior or lifestyle can ever be condoned or accepted, however. We can and should pray for these individuals.
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