October 08, 2005

Vatican reportedly ready to accept gay priests who've lived chastely

VATICAN CITY
The Seattle Times

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON

The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY — A Vatican document expected to be made public soon stops short of a sweeping ban on homosexuals entering the priesthood, allowing those who have lived chastely for three years to be candidates for the clergy, a senior Vatican official said yesterday.

The document, in the works for at least three years, will update Vatican policy, which has held that gays or men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained, regardless of whether they can remain celibate.

The new document would allow candidates who have lived a chaste life for at least three years before their admission to a seminary, said the senior official, who requested anonymity because the document has not been released.

Posted by kshaw at October 8, 2005 07:12 AM