The Vatican has approved guidelines that allow homosexual men to train to become Catholic priests in Italy, but only if they remain celibate and do not support LGBT culture.
The Italian Bishops’ Conference guidelines open the door for gay men to attend seminaries or divinity schools that train priests.
But they come with a caveat: Those who flaunt their homosexuality face being barred.
A section of the 68-page guidelines is specifically directed at “persons with homosexual tendencies who approach seminaries, or who discover such a situation during their training”.
“The Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary and to Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality or present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture,” read the document.
“When referring to homosexual 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,” it stated.
The guidelines continued that the goal of training priests is “the ability to accept as a gift, to freely choose and live chastity in celibacy”.
Throughout his papacy, 88-year-old Pope Francis has encouraged a more inclusive Roman Catholic Church, including for LGBT Catholics, even though official doctrine still states that same-sex acts are “intrinsically disordered”.
In 2013, just after taking office, Francis famously said that “if someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?”
Last June, the pontiff allegedly used a vulgar slur about homosexuals in a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, according to two Italian newspapers.
At the time, he had expressed his opposition to gay men entering seminaries.
The Vatican’s clergy office confirmed the guidelines will be effective for a trial period of three years — and only apply in Italy at this stage.
