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Gay priests must be celibate or leave priesthood, Pope says

TU Curmudgeon

B.A. (Sarc), LLb. (Lex Sarcasus), PhD (Sarc.)
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From the CBC

Gay priests must be celibate or leave priesthood, Pope says

Men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the Catholic clergy, and it would be better for priests who are actively gay to leave rather than lead a double life, Pope Francis says in a new book.

While he has previously spoken of the need for better screening of candidates for the religious life, his comments suggesting that priests who cannot keep their vows of celibacy should leave are some of his clearest to date.

COMMENT:-

Strangely enough, the Pope did NOT say that serial philandering heterosexuals and/or heterosexual pedophiles who can't keep their pants buttoned up should get out of the priesthood.

You don't suppose that that might be because it would create a "staffing crisis" at the local franchise, Zone management, Division management, and General management levels of "RCC Inc."?
 
Yeah, my immediate thought is "who cares about gay??" Aren't all priests supposed to be celibate? If they aren't, it's already a double life.

Catholics are definitely behind the curve on this issue.
 
Men who cannot keep their vow to be celibate should leave the priesthood, straight or gay. A lot of straight priests also get defrocked over this, so I don't see the persecution of gays here.

For the record, I have a friend who was defrocked for having gay sex with another priest. He actually was given multiple chances to stop doing that. So while he is my friend, and I think he's a heck of a guy, I don't really feel bad about that happening to him.

I am no longer Catholic, or any religion particularly. I believe in God, but not in churches.
 
Gay priests must be celibate or leave priesthood, Pope says
That's not exactly a new notion coming from the Roman Catholic pontiff. Unmarried straight priests must also be celibate. (Though there are some married me who join the Roman Catholic priesthood after wedding, the are few and far between.) The issue isn't whether they engage in gay or straight sex as an expression of love, it's that they're required to love Christ above all others, and insofar as Jesus is not around to "bang," the only option is celibacy.
 
Aside from homosexuality, I thought they all had to be celibate.
This may be a bit off topic, but I remember the chill bumps when we visited a convent in Europe a long time ago, and were told that they discovered baby skeletons in the basement. Look it up. It happened in more than one place. Human nature and all that.
 
From the CBC

Gay priests must be celibate or leave priesthood, Pope says

Men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the Catholic clergy, and it would be better for priests who are actively gay to leave rather than lead a double life, Pope Francis says in a new book.

While he has previously spoken of the need for better screening of candidates for the religious life, his comments suggesting that priests who cannot keep their vows of celibacy should leave are some of his clearest to date.

COMMENT:-

Strangely enough, the Pope did NOT say that serial philandering heterosexuals and/or heterosexual pedophiles who can't keep their pants buttoned up should get out of the priesthood.

You don't suppose that that might be because it would create a "staffing crisis" at the local franchise, Zone management, Division management, and General management levels of "RCC Inc."?

Pope Francis is either very confused or just plain ignorant of the facts. He willingly likens homosexuality to pedophilia.
 
That's not exactly a new notion coming from the Roman Catholic pontiff. Unmarried straight priests must also be celibate. (Though there are some married me who join the Roman Catholic priesthood after wedding, the are few and far between.) The issue isn't whether they engage in gay or straight sex as an expression of love, it's that they're required to love Christ above all others, and insofar as Jesus is not around to "bang," the only option is celibacy.

I thought it was because fornication--sex outside of marriage--is regarded as a sin.

BTW, your link is from 2002.
 
That's not exactly a new notion coming from the Roman Catholic pontiff. Unmarried straight priests must also be celibate. (Though there are some married me who join the Roman Catholic priesthood after wedding, the are few and far between.) The issue isn't whether they engage in gay or straight sex as an expression of love, it's that they're required to love Christ above all others, and insofar as Jesus is not around to "bang," the only option is celibacy.

The Roman Catholic Church has been hammered, and rightfully so, as far as I can remember. Thinking back when the Pope had far more power, I thank the Lord that we live in a day and age where secrets are being revealed. This Pope is ready and, hopefully, able to deal with faith and human nature. I don't have much use for Catholicism at all, but I respect those who do. I can only imagine the inner turmoil.
 
I thought it was because fornication--sex outside of marriage--is regarded as a sin.

BTW, your link is from 2002.

Red:
That's an oversimplification -- an understandable one, but one nonetheless -- of a considerably more complex set of notions that give rise to the Roman Catholic church's denouncement of extramarital coitus.


Blue:
Yes. It is. Are you aware of there being something that changed between then and now that has resulted in there being materially more or fewer instances of married men who also are Roman Catholic priests?

The article identifies the circumstantial progression whereby that status comes about. I admit I didn't look to see whether something has changed that prevents that same sequence of events and outcome from occurring today or in the recent past.
 
I don't understand why the nuns can't take turns jacking the priests off.
 
Red:
That's an oversimplification -- an understandable one, but one nonetheless -- of a considerably more complex set of notions that give rise to the Roman Catholic church's denouncement of extramarital coitus.

Blue:
Yes. It is. Are you aware of there being something that changed between then and now that has resulted in there being materially more or fewer instances of married men who also are Roman Catholic priests?

The article identifies the circumstantial progression whereby that status comes about. I admit I didn't look to see whether something has changed that prevents that same sequence of events and outcome from occurring today or in the recent past.

Black: Thank you for your noblesse oblige; charitable of you to be so understanding when someone other than your lofty self couldn't possibly appreciate the "considerably more complex set of notions" to which you refer.

Black: Yes.
 
I don't understand why the nuns can't take turns jacking the priests off.
Because among the key requirements of being a female postulant is that insofar as they can't get it from Jesus, penis is a thing of which they get none.
 
I left the Church because several people in my home town that I knew, one of whom was a school friend, admitted in their teens that they were repeatedly molested by priests. One of the priests belonged to the Church my family attended on a weekly basis.

If the Vatican is still so full of idiots that they actually think making a pronouncement targeting homosexuals is going to appease their victims, then they have another thing coming.

This corrupt and vile organization that houses some of the worst members of the human race - not only that, apologizes for them - has no business lecturing anybody on how to live a moral life. Anything that the Church says you should not do, their organization is full of men doing the complete opposite and then some. Every time the Pope opens his mouth now, I want to vomit. There are good priests in the Church but they are more often than not surrounded by a sea of hypocrites.
 
Men who cannot keep their vow to be celibate should leave the priesthood, straight or gay. A lot of straight priests also get defrocked over this, so I don't see the persecution of gays here.

For the record, I have a friend who was defrocked for having gay sex with another priest. He actually was given multiple chances to stop doing that. So while he is my friend, and I think he's a heck of a guy, I don't really feel bad about that happening to him.

I am no longer Catholic, or any religion particularly. I believe in God, but not in churches.

Religion on such matters is silly. I agree with Aleister Crowley:

" do what thou wilt"
 
A shoutout to all straight and gay priests throughout history who have observed the celibacy rule of their employer.

If the celibacy rule is strictly enforced in the future, this will result in many straight and gay priests leaving.

A shortage of priests may force the Church to ordain women.

(P.S. I do not know whether it's true, but I have read that in some parts of the world, non-celibate straight priests are quietly accepted.)
 
I thought it was because fornication--sex outside of marriage--is regarded as a sin.

BTW, your link is from 2002.

You are quite right. However, the rules haven't changed, it IS still true that it IS possible for a married man to become a Roman Catholic Priest and it also true that the times that that happens are "few and far between".
 
From the CBC

Gay priests must be celibate or leave priesthood, Pope says

Men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be admitted to the Catholic clergy, and it would be better for priests who are actively gay to leave rather than lead a double life, Pope Francis says in a new book.

While he has previously spoken of the need for better screening of candidates for the religious life, his comments suggesting that priests who cannot keep their vows of celibacy should leave are some of his clearest to date.

COMMENT:-

Strangely enough, the Pope did NOT say that serial philandering heterosexuals and/or heterosexual pedophiles who can't keep their pants buttoned up should get out of the priesthood.

You don't suppose that that might be because it would create a "staffing crisis" at the local franchise, Zone management, Division management, and General management levels of "RCC Inc."?

I thought Catholic priests were supposed to be celibate anyway.
 
You are quite right. However, the rules haven't changed, it IS still true that it IS possible for a married man to become a Roman Catholic Priest and it also true that the times that that happens are "few and far between".

And yet, oddly, I know two of them very well. One was one of the first four Episcopalian priests ordained in the U.S. by the Catholic Church; the other was a very successful journalist (whose book was made into a movie-for-TV) who then became an Episcopalian priest. A third, whom I've met but don't know, spent a career in the Forestry Service, was widowed, and then entered the seminary. So in my own experience, it's not "few and far between."

Because of what I regard as the schism in the Episcopal Church, I believe there will many more reordinations. It's just me would disagree, I think, because the Anglican group of which he is a member is also increasing. And more and more men are discovering a "delayed vocation" too: Increasing number of men pursuing 'delayed vocation' to the priesthood
 
I don't understand why the nuns can't take turns jacking the priests off.

I don't understand why someone would want to embarrass himself with a remark such as this.
 
I don't understand why someone would want to embarrass himself with a remark such as this.

Because they are a __[fill in blank with seven letter word starting with the letters "j - a - c - k"]__?
 
I left the Church because several people in my home town that I knew, one of whom was a school friend, admitted in their teens that they were repeatedly molested by priests. One of the priests belonged to the Church my family attended on a weekly basis.

If the Vatican is still so full of idiots that they actually think making a pronouncement targeting homosexuals is going to appease their victims, then they have another thing coming.

This corrupt and vile organization that houses some of the worst members of the human race - not only that, apologizes for them - has no business lecturing anybody on how to live a moral life. Anything that the Church says you should not do, their organization is full of men doing the complete opposite and then some. Every time the Pope opens his mouth now, I want to vomit. There are good priests in the Church but they are more often than not surrounded by a sea of hypocrites.

:clap:

Now tell us how you really feel. :2razz:
 
I'm not a practicing Catholic, so it's none of my business what they do. However, any career where there are lots of kids draws perverts, and any career that forbids sex is going to have some problems maintaining that standard.
 
While I'm usually sympathetic to people of faith, I can't stand the Roman Catholic Church, or the Pope, for that matter.

The very epitome of elitism!


Tim-
 
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