A Reflection on the Vatican Statement about Homosexuality and the Priesthood

This week the Vatican Congregation for Education issued an instruction related to the criteria for admission to Roman Catholic seminaries and to the sacrament of Holy Orders. The instruction was approved by Pope Benedict XVI. There was a great deal of speculation about this statement during the months before its release and, undoubtedly, there will be vigorous discussion of it in the media and among Catholics in the coming weeks.

This instruction focuses on the topic of the candidacy for the priesthood of persons with a homosexual orientation. It begins with a discussion of the importance of affective maturity in the life of a candidate. This emotional maturity enables a person to establish and sustain vital relationships with the people whom he serves and with those with whom he ministers. The development of such affective maturity is the goal of the human formation that is integral to a candidate’s overall preparation for priestly ministry.

The Congregation then addresses the specific topic of homosexuality. Citing the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it immediately points out that there is a distinction between homosexual genital activity and homosexual tendencies. It restates the Church’s traditional teaching that homosexual activity is objectively immoral. Those who engage in such activity are not suitable candidates for priesthood because their behavior contradicts the commitment to chaste celibacy required of the priest. This instruction also states that persons with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” should not be admitted to ordained ministry. It reaffirms, however, that such persons are to be accepted with respect and sensitivity and that all unjust discrimination toward them should be avoided. Finally, the instruction also asserts that persons who support the gay culture are not suitable candidates for priestly ministry. It acknowledges that persons having homosexual tendencies which are only “the expression of a transitory problem” can be admitted if these tendencies have been overcome at least three years prior to ordination to the diaconate. The instruction concludes by exhorting various individuals responsible for the formation and evaluation of priesthood candidates to implement this teaching of the congregation in their work of formation. 

In his commentary on this instruction, Bishop William Skylstad, the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, offers some helpful insights. He notes that the Church affirms both the dignity of all human beings and the respect that should be shown all people irrespective of sexual orientation. In a world in which persons with a homosexual orientation still experience prejudice and even outright hostility, this fundamental teaching of the Church must be underlined. Homosexual persons are first and foremost persons – men and women who are beloved children of God.

Bishop Skylstad reminds Catholics of the Church’s traditional teaching about the purpose of human sexuality. As he puts it, “God has given this gift to humanity to bring about a loving relationship between a man and a woman in the lifelong union of a marriage open to the creation of new life.” The Church views sexual activity outside of this marital covenant as falling seriously short of God’s plan. This teaching, which is very counter-cultural in our time, is one dimension of the Church’s moral tradition.

Bishop Skylstad also points out that formation for the priesthood requires a human maturity and personal stability that enable a candidate to focus on preparation for priestly ministry. If one has serious unresolved issues in his life, whether they involve sexuality, finances, addictive behavior, or other interpersonal matters, he will not have the personal freedom necessary for priestly formation. A candidate for the priesthood must display a level of personal maturity that enables him to focus on developing the disposition and the skills necessary for generous service to others in the name of Christ and the Church.

Bishop Skylstad addresses the much-discussed issue of whether a homosexually-inclined man can be a good priest. His response to this question is quite illuminating. “The answer lies in the lives of those men who, with God’s grace, have truly been dedicated priests, seeking each day not to be served but to serve their people, faithfully representing in word and example the teaching of the Church in its fullness, including God’s revelation that sexual expression is intended only to take place between a husband and a wife in a loving, faithful, and life-giving marriage.” Bishop Skylstad’s sensitive response resonates with the experience of many Catholics that know priests with a homosexual orientation who offer dedicated, generous and effective ministry to God’s people and who exhibit a steadfast commitment to chaste celibacy.

Many will find this recent Vatican instruction to be very difficult to accept. Some will undoubtedly feel that it awakens painful memories of unjust discrimination. Others may argue that this teaching is opposed to the Catholic affirmation of the inherent dignity of persons with a homosexual affirmation. It will be very important for seminarians, priests, and all Catholics to enter into prayerful, honest, and respectful dialogue about this instruction and about the ways in which homosexual and heterosexual persons relate in the Church.

The Church of Christ is intended to be a communion of persons grounded in the communion of life and love in the Trinity. Because we are and are called to be this communion we must resist the forces of polarization that drive us apart. This can only be accomplished through thoughtful, charitable dialogue that finds its ground in the faith we share as Catholic Christians. Through the sacrament of baptism, all Catholics share a common priesthood in which we participate in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ. The ministerial priesthood exercised by the ordained aims at promoting the exercise of the common priesthood of the entire people of God. The Second Vatican Council taught that all baptized Christians enjoy an equality with the regard to the dignity and activity they share in the building up of the Body of Christ. All participate in the mission of the Christian people in the Church and in the world (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, nn. 31-32).

Tensions among Catholic Christians are real and should not be denied or suppressed. It may be the case that this recent instruction will exacerbate those tensions.  Nevertheless, underneath these differences, Catholic Christians share a common dignity and a vocation to mission that can form the foundation for respectful dialogue and growth in mutual understanding.  May we enter into this dialogue with renewed vigor, celebrating the marvelous gift of faith that we share and deepening our communion with one another in Christ.

Fr. Robin Ryan, CP