VATICAN CITY (CNS): A long-awaited Vatican document has drawn a sharp line against priestly ordination of homosexuals.
The six-page instruction, prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Education, said the Church cannot ordain men who are active homosexuals, who have “deeply rooted” homosexual tendencies or who support the “gay culture”.
Those who have overcome “transitory” homosexual tendencies, however, could be ordained, it said.
The document was published online on November 22 by an Italian news agency, ahead of its official release.
It did not define what was meant by “deeply rooted” homosexual tendencies, but contrasted them with the “transitory problems” of adolescence.
Such transitory tendencies must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination as a deacon, it said.
It did not explain what was meant by “overcome” and did not say that celibacy or chastity was the criteria for measuring suitability of such candidates for the priesthood.
The document was signed by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, the prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, which prepared the instruction for use by bishops, religious superiors and seminary rectors around the world.
A line at the end of the text said that on August 31 the instruction was approved by Pope Benedict XVI and ordered published.
In a letter accompanying the document, the Vatican made it clear that the instruction does not challenge the validity of previous ordinations of priests with homosexual tendencies.
