MichNews
By J. Grant Swank, Jr.
MichNews.com
Dec 5, 2005
Recent reactions to the Vatican prohibition of active homosexuals permitted in the priesthood have prompted some Catholic laity and clergy to state publicly that homosexual "cultures" in certain orders and seminaries are keeping heterosexuals from entering the ministry.
The conclusion is that there are heterosexual Catholic men who sense the divine call into the priesthood but refrain from even starting religious studies via the seminaries because they are aware that there are many active homosexuals in the seminaries or that there is an allowance for them there.
Further, there are some Catholic orders that are not growing because it is known that these orders welcome practicing homosexuals as priests. Consequently, heterosexuals stay away from those orders because of the over influence of homosexual "culture" in them.
Catholic leadership in tune with the recent Vatican statement regarding homosexuality in the priesthood is asking for there to be a hard line on the Vatican position. In other words, there can be no tolerance at all for active homosexuals in the priestly ministry.
The studies also have shown that 81 percent of sex scandals involving Catholic priests and males within the parish relate to homosexual priests. Therefore, in order to cut through such future scandals, there has to be the moral line drawn in the sand. That line has to be honored not only by Vatican officialdom but also by diocesan leadership and local priests. It is not enough for the Vatican to make the declaration; there