Priesthood Naturally Attracts Gays?

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Sacramentalist:
Hey, gang.

This afternoon, my mother brought up an interesting point on gays and the priesthood.

She suggested that the priesthood attracts gay men because of these people’s innate femininity, which naturally inclines them to service, compassion, self-sacrifice, etc. Not that straight men are incapale of this, but the priesthood’s practical aspects do tend to bring out or accomidate themselves more to womanly instincts than manly.

And so well-intentioned gay man are naturally inclined to the priesthood.

What do you all say to this?

Note: This thread is not meant to go into the merits of havin gays in the priesthood. I am curious, however, as to whether the priesthood has always had a higher proportion of gays than other “professions,” and if the nature of the work itself tends to attract them.

Any thoughts?
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I’m not sure I agree with the premise that gay men have “innate femininity.” They may have some characteristics that appear feminine, but I don’t think all feminine characteristics can be ascribed to them. The characteristics you mention are integral to the roles of women in family and society. Men have these characteristics as well, but to a different degree and in a different way. If gay men were just women in men’s bodies, the problems of homosexuality would be different.
 
Several people on this thread have seemed to assume that all priests with homosexual tendencies are practicing homosexuals. One even made the assertion that they enter the priesthood as a cover for their “alternative lifestyle.” While it’s no doubt true that there are sexually active, sinful priests out there, you can’t say that all priests with homosexual tendencies are practicing homosexuals.

I imagine that if I were a man with homosexual tendencies who was trying to live as the Church prescribed, the priesthood would hold the same attractions that it does to heterosexual men, with the following additions:

an additional, outside reason to remain celibate that would bolster my determination and give me encouragement, and

possibly a feeling that by becoming a priest I might be able to help heal myself of homosexuality.

I’m obviously not in this situation, and I’m glad that the Church has recently adopted the disciplinary rules that it has, but I think it’s unfair to assume so much evil about these people based solely on their illness and struggle with a particular sin.
 
this thread is filled with misstatements about homosexuals, about the priesthood in general, about the traits that make a good priest, and about the definition of “masculine” and “feminine” character traits. a total waste of time to debate things that are not true in the first place.
 
I would prefer that men with “homosexual tendencies” go nowhere near the priesthood. Priests by their very vocation can have tremendous influence on people, especially the young. Poor/unhealthy examples of attitide and conduct are at least as damaging as “good priests” are beneficial. I say enough of the smoke and mirrors! Young people need good role models - mothers, fathers(seem to be optional these days), priests, teachers - not people whose “tendencies” can destory a young person’s emotional and moral development by their influence. I applaud the Pope’s announcement with regard to homosexuality in the priesthood. I hope I will be able to applaud the enforcement of this policy.
 
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Sacramentalist:
Hey, gang.

This afternoon, my mother brought up an interesting point on gays and the priesthood.

She suggested that the priesthood attracts gay men because of these people’s innate femininity, which naturally inclines them to service, compassion, self-sacrifice, etc. Not that straight men are incapale of this, but the priesthood’s practical aspects do tend to bring out or accomidate themselves more to womanly instincts than manly.

And so well-intentioned gay man are naturally inclined to the priesthood.

What do you all say to this?

Note: This thread is not meant to go into the merits of havin gays in the priesthood. I am curious, however, as to whether the priesthood has always had a higher proportion of gays than other “professions,” and if the nature of the work itself tends to attract them.

Any thoughts?
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I think that the priesthood as a calling was no more or less attractive to gay men than to straight. However, I do believe that the Priesthood gave gays a unique opportunity to avoid marriage in a respected fashion, and to be able to enjoy the company of other men without appearing suspicious. Responsible, celibate gays have always had positions in the Priesthood and have carried out their functions in a respectable fashion. The problem is not Gays in the Priesthood.

I think the problems that the Priesthood is having thee days are a reflection of our society a whole. We have become much more accepting of alternate lifestyles, much less prone to condemn, more ready to let everyone live the way that they want to live. Just look around. Anything and everything goes woth precious little control over it. Why would the Priesthood be any different? Priests are human beings with all the weaknesses and evil that comes with the human state.

No I think the problem is that in our rush for Political Correctness, all inclusiveness and lack of judgement of people, the climate was created where predators, both gay and straight saw an opportunity for exploitation and took it. Those responsible for screening candidates to the Priesthood are to blame for this situation. They allowed these predators to enter the Church. People do not wake up one morning and all of a sudden become a sexual predator. No it is something that thay have had inside them all of their lives.

And to be honest, once an institutional culture is established, it is very difficult to control or suppress.
 
While predators, sexual or otherwise, are a significant problem in many institutions including the priesthood, homosexuality specifically is a major problem. Some may choose to believe, and our overly liberal society may preach, that there is no “value” difference between heterosexual and homosexual attitudes and behavior, but the direct health and social affects of homosexuality say otherwise ( see URL=http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/g/l/glm7/m160.htm]Medical Downside of Homosexual Behavior and Scientific Evidence Against Homosexuality ).

Unbelievable effort is being made to try and convince the public that the (homo)sexual behaviour attributable to, at most, 2% of the population is normal, natural, healthy, enpowering, and liberating. Political efforts to normalize this behavior have been disguised as promoting tolerance, diversity, free expression, and privacy all the while in actual fact forcing full societal acceptance and promotion, especially among the young, of biologically unnatural and unhealthy behavior. Any public resistance to full acceptance and promotion of homosexuality has been “demonized” as bigotry, racism (as if race has anything to do with it), and homophobia (new “gay speak”), and even criminalized by new hate laws around the world. Keep in mind that all of this pertains to the deviant sexual behavior of at most only 2% of the population (?!?).

The fact is that any degree of acceptance/tolerance of homosexual “tendencies” in the priesthood is also a full and willing acceptance of homosexuality and its influence on the young minds in Catholic parishes and in society as a whole. This destructive approach to our young is nothing short of irresponsible and likely something for which many of us will have to answer for someday.
 
Reading some accounts of the priests who were guilty of pedophilia and pederasty, it is clear that many of them had the same MO (which they shared with other sexual predators like Michael Jackson) …find a troubled child who has a bad home situation, get close to the family so you are trusted, exert your authority over them, use psychological manipulation and control, etc., etc. For someone with the mindset of a predator, does the priesthood offer an attractive advantage, does it make it easier to use these methods? You bet it does and it did.

The stark reality of the horrors that have occurred in the Church are too plain to see. One seminary in California is reported to have produced priests over the last 30 years, 10 % of whom have been involved in the horror. Is this just a coincidence? Or does it indicate a culture of sexual sin in the priesthood, from seminary on? I think it does. And I know there are faithful and celibate priests with homosexual inclinations, but how do we correct the problems we have without addressing the fact that most of the sexual predators were homosexual?
 
This thread is not meant to go into the merits of havin gays in the priesthood. I am curious, however, as to whether the priesthood has always had a higher proportion of gays than other “professions,” and if the nature of the work itself tends to attract them.
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Just walk into any hair salon and I think you’ll find what kind of work they are attracted too.

S
 
The OP had an interesting question; the reponses have been amusing, and largely off the point.

The question really is whether or not the priesthood would be particularly attractive to gays.

A few points: the arts seem to have in inordinate number of homosexuals. what the connection is between having homosexual tendencies and having artistic tendencies is, I have no idea; it is simply a fact.

What position would allow a man - in fact, encourage him - to dress in long gowns with lace, beautifully embroydered covers, provide him access as the “director” to some of the most beautiful music written, provide him with a somewhat androgenous cover (he is celibate, so no one is asking him at 35 why he isn’t married), provide him a “canvas” in terms of art (stained glass windows, beautiful ornamentation in the books, cups, cloths, etc used at Mass), make him the “central actor” in a “great drama”, encourage feelings of empathy, compassion, sympathy, condolence, etc., provide the adulation he can’t achieve in straight society too often (“Oh Father, your homily was so wonderful” gushed the parishioner), be the center of attention while being so different than the vast majority of those who surround him, the list goes on.

Yes, there are many things about the priesthood that a homosexual man might find very attractive, and that has nothing to do with those who may be sexually active.
 
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Sacramentalist:
…the priesthood attracts gay men because of these people’s innate femininity, which naturally inclines them to service, compassion, self-sacrifice, etc. Not that straight men are incapale of this, but the priesthood’s practical aspects do tend to bring out or accomidate themselves more to womanly instincts than manly.

And so well-intentioned gay man are naturally inclined to the priesthood.

What do you all say to this?

Note: This thread is not meant to go into the merits of havin gays in the priesthood. I am curious, however, as to whether the priesthood has always had a higher proportion of gays than other “professions,” and if the nature of the work itself tends to attract them.

Any thoughts?
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The priesthood is about the most masculine vocation I know of- since only men can do it. Jesus, who is the ideal that every man should strive (priests especially) for was compassionate, loving and merciful, but was assertive when necessary, and was a good leader.
 
I wouldn’t say the priesthood attracts gays for the reasons given above, but I could see it attacting homosexuals in the way that they might see it as an escape from SSA or a way to remain chaste.
 
I don’t really see how entering the priesthood would help people with homosexual tendencies remain chaste. It would seem to me that living in such close proximity with other men in seminary and in a rectory (if more than one priest is living there) would make it harder to be chaste, just as it would be harder for a heterosexual man to remain chaste if he lives with women (assuming he’s not married).
 
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puzzleannie:
this thread is filled with misstatements about homosexuals, about the priesthood in general, about the traits that make a good priest, and about the definition of “masculine” and “feminine” character traits. a total waste of time to debate things that are not true in the first place.
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I would like to submit a concurring opinion, particularly about what stereotypes we have about male and female character traits. We are way too influenced by Hollywood stereotypes, for example, and we don’t like to admit it, either.

As scripture says, let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. What traits would we ascribe to Jesus?
 
When someone becomes a priest, they have taken a vow of celebacy and a vow of chastity. So no matter if they have homosexual or heterosexual tendancies these drives would have to be “let go” before making a vow. I think that the Holy Father will have to be the one to make the final answer known. I just can’t figure this one out. :confused:
 
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