Southern Voice
By ELIZABETH WEILL-GREENBERG
Friday, December 02, 2005
The long awaited Vatican document banning gay men and those who “support gay culture” from the priesthood was released this week, sparking outrage among some clergy and gay and lesbian rights groups.
For months, snippets of the document have been leaked to the media, generating speculation as to how sweeping the ban would be and whether it would officially have the pope’s support. But the final document was clear in its position on homosexuality.
The statement claims that gay men and lesbians are “objectively disordered” and the church “cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’”
The bishops, Episcopal Conferences and Superior Generals are charged with enforcing this ban. Spiritual directors, who have a sacrosanct relationship with their seminarians, according to theologian Mary Hunt, are ordered to discourage gays from seeking ordination.