On 10 January 2025, the Italian Bishops’ Conference published the provisional document La formazione dei presbiteri nelle chiese in Italia (“the Document “) in a preliminary move towards the ordination of openly gay men to the priesthood, subject to the normal requirement of chastity. The Document, which was approved by the 78th General Assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference held in Assisi from 13 to 16 November 2023, came into on 9 January 2025 ad experimentum for three years.
The text, which obtained confirmation from the Holy See with a decree from the Dicastery for the Clergy, presents a formative process for the priesthood divided into two stages: a first phase of an initiatory nature, dedicated to building interior consistency and a second phase is dedicated to the discovery of the People of God and to the greater involvement of the Christian community in the formation of candidates for the priesthood.
A reference in the third chapter of the Document is made to “people with homosexual tendencies” who approach seminaries or who “discover” this situation during their formation. The Vatican News states
“In accordance with its Magisterium, the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the Seminary and to Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture,” the Document states. “The aforementioned persons find themselves, in fact, in a situation that seriously hinders correct relationships with men and women.”
The section on chastity comments:
“However, according to the CEI, when reference is made to homosexual tendencies in the formative process, it is ‘appropriate not to reduce discernment to this aspect alone, but, as with every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the global framework of the young person’s personality, so that, by knowing oneself and integrating the objectives of the human and priestly vocation, one may reach a general harmony’.
The objective of formation in the affective-sexual sphere of the candidate for the priesthood is ‘the ability to accept as a gift, to freely choose and to live responsibly chastity in celibacy’. ‘It is not a merely affective indication’, but ‘the synthesis of an attitude that expresses the opposite of possession’, states the CEI text. ‘Chastity is freedom from possession in all areas of life’, says one passage. And in another we read: ‘Those who live their passion for the Kingdom in celibacy should also become capable of motivating, in renouncing it for it, frustrations, including the lack of emotional and sexual gratification’”.
Comment
New Ways Ministry[*], an advocacy group for LGBTQIA Catholics in the U.S., welcomed the document. Francis DeBernardo, its Executive Director, commented:
“This development is a big step forward. It clarifies previous ambiguous statements about gay seminary candidates, which viewed them with suspicion. This ambiguity caused lots of fear and discrimination in the church, way beyond the arena of seminary admissions.
This new clarification treats gay candidates in the same way that heterosexual candidates are treated. That type of equal treatment is what the Church should be aiming for in regards to all LGBTQ+ issues.”
This new guidance clarifies two previous statements from the Vatican in 2005 and 2016. The 2016 statement, signed by Pope Francis, was essentially a reiteration of the 2005 statement, signed by Pope Benedict XVI, the latter quoting directly from the earlier one:
“The Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders 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.”
[*] New Ways Ministry describes itself as, “a Catholic outreach that educates and advocates for equity, inclusion, and justice for LGBTQ+ persons, equipping leaders to build bridges of dialogue within the Church and civil society”.