Gays in the Priesthood

The Vatican has released its long awaited pronouncement on the ordination of gays. Now all they need to do is issue an explanation of what the hell it means!

According to the Vatican if you've got "deep-rooted homosexual tendencies" or practice a "gay culture," then you can’t be ordained. However if you have "transitory" homosexual tendencies, which you have "overcome" for at least three years, then you’re ok.

Huh? Let me make sure I understand this. Errr, no, never mind, I admit I don’t understand it! If homosexuality is in fact genetic, as some people believe, this policy makes absolutely no sense. How does one “overcome” a genetic characteristic? That’s like asking someone to change their eye color from blue to brown.

The only way I can make sense out of this is if you’re still in the closet, come on down, but if you’re out of the closet, don’t bother. But all priests are supposed to be celibate aren’t they? So if you’ve had no sex for three years does that mean you’ve “overcome” your “transitory tendencies?” Do straight seminary candidates have to refrain from heterosexual sex for three years before entering the seminary? I’m confused as only the church can confuse you.

Then again, maybe one needs to look under the surface. Perhaps this is just the Vatican’s way of misdirecting the blame for the juvenile abuse scandal it’s been enduring by implying that it was those gays with "deep-rooted homosexual tendencies" that caused all the trouble and now we’ve resolved it. The only problem is that “gay” does not imply “pedophile” nor does it explain why it took so long for the church to face up to the problem.

So is this progress or a retreat into medieval thinking? If the Vatican is convinced that homosexuality is purely voluntary and the “tendency” can be “overcome” like a tendency to overeat can be overcome, then I vote for a retreat into medieval thinking.