BishopAccountability.org
	Is the Path to Priesthood Easier in Canada for Gay Catholic Men? Maybe. But Vatican continues to push restrictive rules for gays By Mary Ormsby Toronto Star June 2, 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/world/vatican/article/817589--is-the-path-to-priesthood-easier-in-canada-for-gay-catholic-men The path to the priesthood may be easier in Canada than in the United States for gay men who want a career in the Roman Catholic Church. There is a movement in the U.S. to reject or restrict gay applicants during the admissions screening process to seminaries. It's a reaction to a 2008 Vatican edict that ruled even celibate homosexuals must have their "sexual orientation" evaluated to determine fit candidates for the priesthood. Many U.S. dioceses are aggressively "scrubbing their academies of potential molesters" in the wake of the church's sexual abuse crisis with rigorous application procedures that also target homosexuals. One screening psychologist who worked at the seminary in Queens, N.Y., told The New York Times there were no gay men currently enrolled in that school. Though the Catholic Church considers gay sex a sin and homosexual tendencies as a psychiatric disorder, a gay man will not necessarily be rejected as a candidate for the priesthood in Canada, said Rev. Steve Wlusek, the rector of St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ont. "I believe it is possible, yes," Wlusek said Tuesday when asked if a gay man could become a Canadian priest if he meets all other requirements. "What we are fundamentally looking for (are) healthy, well-adjusted young men who will truly serve the needs of the church and will care for those, especially the vulnerable, in our communities." There are six seminaries in Canada, three of them English-speaking in London, Toronto and Edmonton. Currently, Toronto's St. Augustine's seminary has about 70 students in "formation," London has 35 and Edmonton has 38. Students can come from abroad or from any province. Homosexuality is a source of concern, confusion and tension for some Canadian Catholics and Wlusek does tread carefully in discussing it. When asked if an aspiring seminarian would be automatically rejected if he's had sex with another male in the past, the priest answered: "If somebody has been sexually active, whether it would be in heterosexual or homosexual fashion, within, say, the last three or four years before applying to the seminary, that would mean they would not be suitable . . . because they haven't had that sufficient time to live in a celibate commitment." In Canada, searching for stable, mature seminarians includes a battery of psychological testing, interviews and professional psychological assessments that is similar to the process south of the border. In London, Ont., the scrutiny is conducted over three separate years — the initial screening, toward the end of the first year of theology studies and late in the third year of studies. And yes, a potential priest will be asked about his sexuality. Not perhaps in the graphic manner the Times reported New York-area men are quizzed ("Do you like pornography?") but in an open-ended way that will trigger more discussion depending on the answer. Questions from the section on "interaction with others" include: * How much have you dated? * Have you been engaged/married? * How do you feel about your sexuality? * Have you ever been approached sexually by another male? * Have you ever been approached sexually against your will — and what was the relationship with this person to you? But if the answer is "yes" to having been approached for sex by another male, a further discussion based on that may end the priestly journey on the spot. "We would explore their sexual activity in the past and the nature of their sexual relationship with others — especially if it is male and if it's part of your life and does (reveal) a same-sex tendency that is deep-seeded within you," said Wlusek.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.