NEBRASKA
Lincoln Journal Star
BY BOB REEVES / Lincoln Journal Star
A Vatican statement prohibiting homosexuals in the priesthood will not bring about any changes in the Lincoln Diocese, the rector of St. Gregory the Great Seminary near Seward said.
“We’ve basically been on the same page as the document” which was released Tuesday, said Father John Folda. “We’ve already pretty much been following that policy.”
The document titled “Instruction for Vocational Discernment with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and Holy Orders” says men should not be admitted to seminaries or ordained as priests if they practice homosexuality, have “deeply rooted homosexual tendencies” or “support so-called gay culture.”
Those policies merely restate the long-standing position of the church, Folda said.
He said the seminary, which trains men in their first years of preparation for the priesthood, is careful in selection of students.
“When a man expresses interest in the seminary, we spend a lot of time trying to get to know him personally,” Folda said. “If we see evidence of deep-seated homosexuality, we know that the life of a priest isn’t what he’s called to.”