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Im serious: Catholics

U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
If a priest has a sexual orientation (spiritual/mental/physical attraction) to those of his own gender, has never had any relations with male and female his whole life, remain celibate, but identifies as homosexual can he do that as a priest?

Why or why not?

Where can I find information that talks about sexual orientation, identity as a GLBT person in catholicism as opposed to homosexuality as defined by actions?

The CCC doesnt have it.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
You ask different people, you'll get different answers. A lot of the conservatives wanting them barred are talking that trash because they blame gays for the sex abuse scandal and don't want to truthfully examine what leads to such things happening.
 
D

Deidre

Well-Known Member
IMO, it's not different than if say a priest were interested in a woman in his parish. As long as he doesn't act upon it, that is probably what the RCC is most concerned with. I've read recently that the RCC is not prohibiting men who identify as homosexuals from becoming priests, so long as they don't act on it.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Saint Frankenstein said:
You ask different people, you'll get different answers. A lot of the conservatives wanting them barred are talking that trash because they blame gays for the sex abuse scandal and don't want to truthfully examine what leads to such things happening.
Click to expand...

Catholic conservatives???
 
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U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Deidre said:
IMO, it's not different than if say a priest were interested in a woman in his parish. As long as he doesn't act upon it, that is probably what the RCC is most concerned with. I've read recently that the RCC is not prohibiting men who identify as homosexuals from becoming priests, so long as they don't act on it.
Click to expand...

In our diocoses, it says priests cant identify as homosexual. They consider it a depraved disorder. I would think thats telling a priest not to say he is epileptic even though he maybhave epilepsy so its true regardless.
 
Aštra’el

Aštra’el

Aštara, Blade of Aštoreth
Obviously Catholicism does not collectively adopt the same perspective about sexuality and "sexual orientation" as you do.

Neither of you is "right" and neither of you is "wrong".
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
I was replying to @Saint Frankenstein with a question about which conservatives was he talking about, Catholics or protestants.

Protestants are the ones I notice blame the Church for the problems with the Church. In other words, they feel the Church has problems and it's the Church's fault. I don't know how you got that from what I said.

syncretic said:
You're blaming protestants for the problems in the catholic church??
Click to expand...
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Saint Frankenstein said:
I'm talking about Catholic conservatives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases#Gay_priests_and_homosexuality
Click to expand...

I can understand that (I usually don't look at sources since I take trust take whomever I talk with word for it). Some Catholics here feel very upset because it puts a bad stain on how people see the Church.

I don't see the Church baring gays forcefully. It's just that their teachings define gays as if we have a disorder. Regardless, I wouldn't see why a priest can't identify as homosexual (in our diocese, anyway). I don't see the connection if he did nothing the Church calls homosexual acts.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
syncretic said:
The CATHOLIC church does have problems. they even admit this. You are somehow trying to blame Protestants, for Catholic problems. :alien:
Click to expand...

Protestants blame the Church. That's what I said.

I did not blame protestants for Catholic problems. I said they blame the Church for the Church's problems.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Please reread this:

You: The CATHOLIC church does have problems. they even admit this. You are somehow trying to blame Protestants, for Catholic problems.

Me: You said a lot of conservatives wanted to bare gays given the sex scandal. I catholic conservatives? I know protestants are blaming the Church.

Protestants are blaming the Church for Church problems. I did not say protestants are to blame. They say the Church is to blame.

I think this is a misreading. Please no debates.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
@syncretic

I was telling Frank in #2 that I've seen protestants blame Catholics for the scandals in the Church. He was saying Catholic conservatives do. Over here, Catholics (lay Catholics) I notice try to help the LGBT community in their own ways. It would make more sense if they blamed the actual priest who committed the scandals rather than the Church and Catholics as a whole, if that's what Frank meant.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
syncretic said:
Right, but the Catholic church is not completely independent of the problems that occur with the clergy, or whatever.
Protestants blaming the Catholic church or not, seems completely irrelevant.
Click to expand...

It's irreverent to the OP, yes. I was responding to Frank's reply. This isn't a debate thread. I just wanted to know if priest can identify as homosexual even though they have not done anything the Church sees as homosexual actions.
 
Shrew

Shrew

Active Member
Carlita said:
If a priest has a sexual orientation (spiritual/mental/physical attraction) to those of his own gender, has never had any relations with male and female his whole life, remain celibate, but identifies as homosexual can he do that as a priest?

Why or why not?
Click to expand...
I was raised catholic but left church, but I like to answer.

No. Why? Because I don't believe that someone who lives celibate can be a good priest, which is one of the reasons I left the catholic church.
Celibacy was invented to prevent priests from bequeathing their money to wife & children so that the chruch should have it.
Celibacy has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus, I believe that Jesus himself was married (he was a Jewish Rabbi after all).

On the other hand I see no reason why a homosexual man should not become a catholic priest - or a homosexual woman, but this is another matter.
 
U

Unveiled Artist

Veteran Member
Shrew said:
I was raised catholic but left church, but I like to answer.

No. Why? Because I don't believe that someone who lives celibate can be a good priest, which is one of the reasons I left the catholic church.
Celibacy was invented to prevent priests from bequeathing their money to wife & children so that the chruch should have it.
Celibacy has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus, I believe that Jesus himself was married (he was a Jewish Rabbi after all).

On the other hand I see no reason why a homosexual man should not become a catholic priest - or a homosexual woman, but this is another matter.
Click to expand...

I wanted to be a priest years ago when I was celibate. After going to Mass for years before confirmed, I learned why celibacy is important regardless its history. To me, if I were priest, be celibate is fasting from flesh desires that not all people feel the need to express in any romantic relationship. To me, it would be giving up what I do with my body and focusing it on how I use my body to devote myself to Christ. To me, being celibate not a big deal when comparing it to being devoted to Christ. If anything, I would find it selfish to have sex outside of marriage when celibacy, to me, would be helping prevent temptation to have sex until I was married. As a priest, I wouldn't find marriage part of my devotion because in a Catholic view, my devotion would be to the congregation. I would be married to the body of Christ. Being married to a man or woman is a different sacrament and I would find that no interest in that if I choose that between being married to the body of Christ.

As for the second part, I see no reason either. My question was, say if I were to be a priest, why would the Church say I can't identify as homosexual even though I did nothing to hint that I am (according to the Church)?
 
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