Catholic
columnist warned "Many, many, heterosexual men…will not enter the
seminaries if they think that the bishops are going to allow homosexual
men"
By Michael
Baggot
ROME, Italy, May 20, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an effort to end continued
confusion, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone released a
letter to the world's Catholic Bishops yesterday clearly stating that the
Church's norms prohibiting individuals with homosexual tendencies from
admission to seminaries apply universally.
In November 2005, the Congregation for Catholic Education released the
"Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocation with
regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the
Seminary and to Holy Orders."
The Instruction forbade admission to seminary to "those who practise
homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the
so-called 'gay culture'."
"Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely
hinders them from relating correctly to men and women. One must in no way
overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of
persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies."
The 2005 document also insisted that transitory homosexual tendencies needed to
be overcome at least three years prior to ordination to the diaconate.
While some interpreted the Instruction referred to only certain diocesan
seminaries, Cardinal Bertone's letter made clear that the Instruction applies
to all seminaries.
Bertone wrote that the norms apply "for all houses of formation for the
priesthood, including those under the Dicasteries for Eastern Churches, for the
Evangelization of Peoples, and for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and
Societies of Apostolic Life."
Catholic columnist Barbara Kralis, who was recently pivotal in the resignation
of a Dallas priest formerly involved in a gay porn website, has repeatedly
emphasized the dangers of admitting individuals with homosexual inclinations
since the 2005 Instruction's release.
"Many, many, heterosexual men with vocations to the Diaconate and the
Priesthood are listening. They will not enter the seminaries if they think that
the bishops are going to allow homosexual men into the seminary," she
wrote in a November 2005 RenewAmerica.com column.
"How many authentic vocations were will be lost by the bishops in the
United States because of their silence? They will only find this out in
eternity."
Kralis also warned against subjecting individuals with homosexual tendencies to
the near occasion to sin.
"He should never be allowed to continue to live in a seminary in close
quarters with men. This will only fan the flames of an unnatural spark,"
wrote Kralis of individuals with homosexual inclinations.
Kralis has also noted the connection between the priestly sex abuse crisis and
the prevalence of homosexuality among the Catholic clergy.
"The John Jay College has also released their survey, requested by the
USCCB's National Review Board, on the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic
clergy, revealing that 4% of all Catholic priests have, for the past 52 years,
been accused of abusing children," wrote Kralis in a February 2004
RenewAmerica.com column.
"The study further states that 80-90% of these priests had sodomy or
perverted sex with adolescent boys (ephebophilia), not prepubescent boys
(pedophilia)."
"Penn State Professor of History and Religion, Phil Jenkins, a
non-Catholic and non-lover of Catholicism, states in his book 'Pedophiles and
Priests' that it is less than 2% of Catholic priests who are pedophiles. The
real problem is consensual sex between priests with other priests or adult
males."
The actively homosexual Los Angels talk show host Al Rantel admitted in a June
2002 CNN interview (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0206/14/tl.00.html) that homosexuality among priests
was a major contributor to the Church's sex abuse crisis.
"This is not a pedophile issue, although the media called it a pedophile
issue, because they don't want to insult the gay community. They don't want to
be politically incorrect."
"But what you have here are not pedophiles. You have predatory gay men --
and there are some of us, believe me, I don't happen to be one of them, but
there are some and we should all admit they're there. And these predatory gay
men found their way into the Catholic priesthood in inordinately large
numbers…," said Rantel.