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| Very different Dominicans |
On January 10th the Vatican approved a document issued by the conference of Italian bishops which permits the admission of gay men into seminary training, whilst at the same time insisting that such individuals exercise chastity. This document draws heavily on the Vatican’s own guidelines, issued in 2005 and 2016, which state:
In the formation process, when reference is made to homosexual tendencies, it is also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the global framework of the young person’s personality, so that, by knowing himself and integrating the objectives proper to the human and priestly vocation, he arrives at a general harmony. (Par.44).
If you can make clear sense of this, you are a better person than me!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) states:
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity (Cf. Genesis 19:1-29; Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:10; 1 Timothy 1:10), tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.
Catholic Teaching includes active homosexuality, or sodomy, in ‘sins crying out to heaven for vengeance’ and if unrepented will incur divine retribution.
A close examination of this teaching points to the recent transformation from an infallible doctrinal statement to a matter of opinion which Catholics are now free to accept or reject, wholly, or in part. For the statement in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that ‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered’ is really an assertion which many people, especially gays themselves, will dispute. The Vatican guidelines actually go on to state: "Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women" (Par.44). This, again, is an opinion which many people would dispute, including myself, as I happen to find gay men very charming, and women like gays too, as they are not a threat. In any case, it doesn’t sound like moral doctrine and is not intended to be.
This apparent scaling down of the moral teaching is an attempt by the Church authorities to make peace with the values of modern society, which has enshrined gay rights into most Western legal systems. Moreover, governments in most countries have passed a cloud of legislation which not only protects gays but also approves a plethora of ‘hate’ crimes and anti-discriminatory laws in order to suppress any ‘homophobic’ actions or opinions. After all, in Italian law it is illegal to refuse someone a job or a place at university on the grounds of their sexuality. It may only be a matter of time before a disgruntled gay seminarian takes the Church to court having been refused a place at seminary on the grounds of his sexuality.
Presumably, in an attempt to ‘have their panettoni and eat it,’ the Italian bishops have seized upon the Vatican’s guidelines and think that they have found a way out of this serious problem and thus avoid future legal action. Their compromise amounts to this really: It’s OK for seminarians to be gay so long as they don’t do anything about it. This approach neatly avoids the strictures of the LGBTQ-friendly employment laws but, in reality can they not see what nonsense that is? Common sense would ask: if a cleric is homosexual but ‘chaste,’ as the guidelines suggest, why would he admit to being gay in the first place? If a man possessing an inclination towards murder approaches a seminary for priestly training, why on earth would he solemnly announce to the seminary rector that he thought of killing people? It’s complete nonsense.
Father (now Cardinal) Timothy Radcliffe, with whom I entered into a short correspondence on this subject, said the following: “They can hardly repent of being homosexual by orientation” (Email. 16th September 2024) It is indeed true that you cannot stop temptation arriving, but you definitely have to repent if you savour the temptation or act upon it. Homosexuality isn’t like a birth mark and is the result of original sin. God created us with all sorts of inherent weaknesses, such as a propensity to lie, cheat, murder and steal. Included in this is a propensity to be sexually attracted to people of one’s own sex. Many ex-pupils of English Catholic public schools will confirm this!
If one suffers from this inclination, then we can use it to sanctify ourselves by devoting our lives, via prayer and sacrifice, to overcome it and, ultimately, save our souls. God allows us to be born with fallen inclinations as a means to save our souls. It is no use saying to a judge, before he passes sentence on you for robbery: “I was born like that!” What often happens is that people who suffer from homosexual tendencies find themselves encouraged (often bullied) into acting out their feelings. That situation is not helped when the Catholic Church ceases to provide the essential leadership by helping gays to master their temptations. God never tempts you beyond your endurance (1 Corinthians. 10-13) and the sacraments are on hand, especially that of penance, to help us overcome all sin. But a lot of confessionals have been turned into broom cupboards and the notion of sin is very much in decline especially amongst the clergy, who should be leading the charge.
The result of the announcement of the Italian bishops is to let in many young men for priestly training whose propensities towards homosexuality will almost certainly receive official approval, if not encouragement. It must follow, surely, that such young men may advance to active homosexuality once they have established themselves in the seminary, hence the reference in the title to the ‘trojan horse.’
Obviously, the abandonment of the notion of ‘sins crying out to Heaven for vengeance’ is necessary in order to keep the peace with the modern world. But what about all the other bits of Catholic doctrine and practice which the world would also find objectionable? An obvious example is the teaching that ‘outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation.’ That has been watered down by the headlong rush into ecumenism and few Catholics believe that anymore. In fact, one might be so bold as to state that there is no part of Catholic teaching which has not been tinkered with to gain acceptability by the modern world. Such short-sightedness will no doubt reap bitter fruit as the world knocks on the door of the Catholic Church, demanding yet more compromises.
The debate about gay seminarians contains a dilemma which has racked the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council. And it is this: On which principle of modern secular values will the Church absolutely refuse to give ground? In other words: are the Church leaders ready to ultimately suffer for what remains of their Catholic Faith? The future seems bleak, and we must hope that God gives us a saint who is unafraid of upbraiding even the princes of the Church, such as another St Catherine of Sienna. She would have sent them skipping!
Joseph Bevan
January 2025
Joseph Bevan has published his memoirs, Two Families (Os Justi Press, 2024). Also available from Amazon outlets.
