CALIFORNIA
Inside Bay Area
By Angela Hill and Lea Blevins, STAFF WRITERS
If a potential Catholic priest is free from the sins of the flesh, it shouldn't matter if the man is gay or straight, several East Bay Catholics said in response to the Vatican's latest policy declaration on gays in the priesthood.
"It's a superfluous comment," said Cecilia McKee, 38, of Berkeley, referring to Tuesday's official statement from the Vatican that the church "cannot admit to the seminary ... those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called 'gay culture.'"
"In my mind, priests are asexual anyway," she said. "You can't be gay, but you also can't be heterosexual. You're not supposed to be having sex. So it doesn't matter which way your desires go. The point is whether or not you act on them."
Those in the Valley are expressing similar reactions.