“An orientation toward a celibate life.” This will be the main criterion for admission of candidates to the priesthood in the all-powerful Italian Church, which for the first time opens the door to homosexual seminarians. A historic step, which has been harshly contested by the most reactionary sectors of the Curia, and which could export to other churches, such as the Spanish one, immersed in a process of renewal in the training of their clergy.
The decision, approved ad experimentum (on trial) for a period of three years, came into force last Thursday, after receiving approval from the Vatican. In the new rulesit is stated that “the Church, while deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit into the seminaries those who practice homosexuality.” However, the “practice” is not allowed for heterosexuals either, so that could not be the argument to hinder their entry into a seminary. The red line would be celibacy, not sexual orientation.
In fact, the Italian Episcopal Conference frames the issue of celibacy and chastity within a “general harmony” of the candidate for priest, which requires comprehensive formation, and not just obsessed with sex (or the lack thereof). The new guidelines also require that future seminarians have not been involved in cases of abuse, as well as the participation of women in the training process of priests, to “integrate the female perspective and judgment in the evaluation.”
The Jesuit James Martin, one of the main defenders of LGTBIQ+ pastoral care in the Church, valued the measure as “a step forward.” “In my interpretation, if a gay man is capable of leading a healthy, chaste and celibate life, he can be considered for admission to the seminary,” he stressed.
Last May, Pope Francis was forced to apologize after some ultra-conservative Italian media leaked a phrase by the pontiff, spoken during the debate among the country’s bishops on whether or not to admit homosexuals in the seminary: “There is already too much faggot.”
The Pope, who asked for forgiveness, also promised to continue fighting against homophobia in the Catholic Church, an issue that, as we are seeing these days in Spain due to the so-called conversion therapies or the refusal of a Segovian priest to Giving communion to the mayor of Torrecaballeros for being homosexual is one of the great stigmas of the institution.
“If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge him?” Francis said in one of his first press conferences as Pope, upon returning from World Youth Day in Brazil. in 2013. A year ago, he also endorsed the declaration Fiducia Supplianswhich allows (non-sacramental) blessings for homosexual couples, and demanded that homosexuality stop being considered a crime, as happens in some corners of the world.
However, practice in the Church, especially in Europe, continues to consider homosexuals almost as sick. In this sense, and referring to the complaint against seven Spanish dioceses for alleged practices of gay conversion therapies, the CRISMHOM collective has urged the Catholic hierarchy to change its doctrine on homosexual sexual relations, which continues to be the basis for “that certain fundamentalist groups stir guilt in many consciences.”
For the LGTBIQ+ Christian community, it is necessary to support “inclusive churches that discover the richness of diversity, capable of valuing and celebrating the gifts and charisma that LGTBI+ people have brought, bring and will continue to bring to our Churches.”
All information in www.religiondigital.org
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