Italian Bishops approve celibate g@y men for priesthood

The new criteria have been adopted by the Italian Bishops Conference to allow gay men to serve as priests.

G@y men are allowed to enroll at Roman Catholic seminaries under these new regulations, as long as they pledge to live celibate lives.

In contrast to the 2016 Vatican instruction that dissuaded men with “deep-seated homos£xual tendencies” from pursuing the priesthood, the new guidelines allow LGBT men to enroll in seminaries.

Although the Vatican has not previously explicitly prohibited g@y men from serving as priests, this action represents a shift in the Church’s attitude toward inclusivity.

The Vatican department for clergy approved the document, which will be valid for three years. The document was signed by the head of the Italian bishops, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, who is considered a close collaborator to Pope Francis.

The guideline reads,  “When referring to homos£xual tendencies in the formation process, it is also appropriate not to reduce the discernment to this aspect alone, but to understand its meaning within the whole framework of the young person’s personality.”

The Italian bishops’ document quotes directly from the Vatican instruction but also suggests that other aspects be taken into account when considering the acceptance of g@y candidates to the priesthood.

While being openly gay no longer automatically bars a candidate from becoming a priest, such candidates are still held to the same standard of chastity as heteros£xual priests are.