The Three Year Test

The Pope has pushed a plan forward that would allow homosexuals onto the track of becoming ordained priests in the Catholic Church... kind of:

"The Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the Seminary and to Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture," the document said.

But the document said when "homosexual tendencies are only the expression of a transitory problem ... these must be clearly overcome at least three years prior to diaconate ordination."

In other words, if you stopped being gay three years ago, you can be a priest [insert obvious "and then..." joke here].

This is a relatively paltry attempt at reconciliation, isn't it? This policy might signal a progressive comfort to certain populations, particularly those who have an interest in actually moving toward the priesthood. I'm no theocratic scholar, either, so the claims of the AntiC can't hold much validity beyond simple reaction, but isn't what the Catholic Church has just identified as "the expression of a transitory problem" somewhat short sighted? Their demand that if you're homosexual you must have prohibited all sexuality for 3 years time seems ridiculous, a second sexual standard- why not simply invoke celibacy?

But the "sin" is homosexuality- the actual attraction is the condemnation here. In reality, by forging the priesthood based on any interest or support of homosexuals or homosexual organizations ["support of the so-called gay culture"] The Church locks out the priesthood from various progressive organizations and movements. In a way, this is a more-conservative document than the progressive stance some claim it takes. For instance: if, as a missionary or a convert, you work with populations of AIDS victims, and in so doing you work with homosexual organizations which also act as cultural organizations for the GLBT communities, then you cannot become ordained [for at least 3 years]. As a priest, you can offer no assistance to these organizations.

This is just the start of it. It also codifies something of a Dark Ages understanding of sexuality, which can now be manipulated and used by various other culturally conservative factions for other actual social policy decisions. It furthers in the establishment a systemic concept of homosexuality as a "disorder" which must now be "transgressed."

The new document underlines that church teaching consider homosexual acts "grave sins" and also intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law, news agncies reported. "Therefore, in no case can they be approved," it says.

"If a candidate practices homosexuality or presents deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director, like his confessor, have the duty to dissuade him in conscience from proceeding towards ordination," it said.

The document is sure to cause waves in the church, with some saying it will root out homosexuality in the priesthood and others saying it will cause gay priests to go underground -- what they say was one of the factors that led to the sex abuse scandal .

Rev. Fred Daley, a gay priest at St. Francis DeSales Church in Utica, New York, said he is afraid that the church's attempt to "glean out homosexuals" will "put that whole area back in the closet and will keep folks from being able to work those issues out in the seminary."

But Msgr. Steve Rohlff, rector of Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland, disagreed.

"It flows obviously from the church's teaching on human sexuality, which has been constant from the First century to the 20th Century -- that homosexuality is an intrinsic disorder. It is a psychosexual disorder."

He added, "Does that mean that somebody is wicked or evil? No. It means they have a psychosexual disorder."

Far from a progressive move by the conservative Church- and far from a reasonable one, either.