San Francisco Chronicle
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post
Friday, December 2, 2005
In a letter accompanying its directive against the ordination of men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies," the Vatican has told bishops that gay priests should not teach in Roman Catholic seminaries.
The Rev. Donald Cozzens, a Catholic author and former seminary rector, called the letter a "bombshell" because it affects current priests, not just future ones.
Some experts on church law said Thursday that the letter was nonbinding and could simply be ignored by bishops. But others predicted it would usher in a gradual purge of gays from leadership positions in the church, even if they kept their vows of celibacy.
Because priests who teach in seminaries are frequently transferred to serve in parishes and vice versa, "it could be implemented gradually, without anybody knowing" for certain why a clergyman was moved, said Sister Katarina Schuth, a professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota who is a leading researcher on Catholic seminaries.