Ordination of Homosexuals

[nodito]

But remember ‘CalledtoGod’ if you are not called to married life (and as a homosexual it means that you are not called to married life), it doesn’t neccessarly mean you are called to the priesthood, but we are all called to be saints.

Or it’s possible that this is just a young teenager who has had a couple of crushes on guys and may not find that’s who he is as he develops and matures. I realize this sounds incredibly naive to modern ears, but I sure don’t feel comfortable labeling him as a homosexual or telling him marriage is off the table when he’s, what, 13?

 

[mountee]

Please do not make any decision regarding your future and God’s call for your life without speaking to a priest. You have many great and thorough responses here which have provided you and all of us with the written words of our faith regarding your issue. But, you need help regarding where you are at in your own sexuality and no one here can do that for you. Read the Church’s teachings, talk with your priest and pray. I will pray for you also.

 

[theyoungmonk]

You are very young so dont get too worried yet. The ebst thing to read is the document “Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations
with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders” to which I belive a previous poster has made a link.

As you are young you have time to discern what youre sexuality is and how this affects you, it will to an extent depend on where you apply as there is some slight variation of how people interpret “deep seated homosexual tendancies” so discern as anyone else would and then when the time is appropriate discuss it with the relevant person.

I will now give some detail that may clarify some things but youre main practice should just be to pray and wait for Our Lord to show his will. Also dont get fixated on either vocation or sexuality as right now you can have no great degree of certanty on either.

An important part of the document says

Different, however, would be the case in which one were dealing with homosexual tendencies that were only the expression of a transitory problem - for example, that of an adolescence not yet superseded. Nevertheless, such tendencies must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the diaconate.

So if someone has struggled with some same-sex attraction in his teen years and never acted upon them and these attractions in time settle out this paragraph would allow addmitance. Indeed it would allow addmitance to someone who still had some struggles as long as they were overcome in the first few years.

I will leave you to read the rest of the document but it is good to speak in confidence to a trusted priest or religious so they can help you out. Just dont panic:thumbsup:

I will pray for you

 

[runningdude]

While runningdude was off the mark in his claims, josh987654321 is also incorrect in saying that it doesn’t matter. The Vatican has released clear directives regarding homosexual persons discerning vocations.

Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders.

I must interject and ask where I was “off the mark”, and where my “claims” differ in substance to what you present?

 

[runningdude]

Wouldn’t suppressing heterosexual attraction distract the priest from his duties? Do males entering into the seminary have to say that he has never found anyone attractive, women or man? Please don’t think I am trying to start an argument. I honestly don’t understand. I could understand if the guy has been openly gay and paraded his boyfriend around, but would they tell Johnny that he couldn’t join the seminary if a year ago he took Suzie on a few dates?

The church wants men with a healthy sexual attitude. Chaste dating while a single man is not a bar to becoming a priest; even our current pope had a girlfriend in high school or college. Unchaste dating, followed by clear repentance and increased maturity is also not an absolute bar, although such a history would trigger increased scrutiny of the candidate. Priests are not “asexual” as sexuality is deeply routed in human nature. Properly expressed, sexuality leads to a deep desire to fatherhood in men. For those called to marriage, fatherhood is expressed biologically. For the priesthood, it is expressed spiritually.

Ideally, a man commits wholly to the church, and his duties (his vocation) fulfill his inclination to fatherhood. The priest views his parishioner as sons and daughters, and thus experiences no sexual attraction to them. His sexually is not actively “suppressed”, but experienced differently due to the nature of his position. This requires beginning with a healthy sexuality. The church does not ask anyone with disordered inclinations to hide and suffer.