Guardian UK: The Vatican's gay witch-hunt continues

[marmar]

The Vatican's gay witch-hunt continues
The Pope's plan for psychological tests to purge gay men from the priesthood is a new low

Peter Tatchell
guardian.co.uk, Thursday November 20 2008 20.30 GMT


The Vatican has announced the "psychological screening" of all new applicants for the priesthood, in a bid to weed out men who are deemed to be psychologically flawed. It has taken this initiative following the widespread sexual abuse of children by its clerics.

In a diversionary tactic to deflect attention from the child sex abuse scandal, one of the main aims of these psychological tests is to weed out gay men, not paedophiles.

The Vatican identifies homosexuality as a deep-seated personality disorder and psychological flaw; condemning same-sex acts as "grave sins", "objectively disordered", "intrinsically immoral" and "contrary to natural law". Even men who have a gay orientation but abstain totally from sex are condemned by the Pope as possessing a "tendency towards an intrinsic moral evil".

Accordingly, the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education has issued a new document, Guidelines for the Use of Psychology in the Admission and Formation of Candidates for the Priesthood.

It proposes psychological tests to root out men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" from seminaries.

Estimates of the number of gay men in Catholic seminaries and the priesthood typically range from 25% to 50%, according to a review of research in the US by the Rev Donald Cozzens, author of The Changing Face of the Priesthood: A Reflection on the Priest's Crisis of Soul. A similar proportion of priests is thought to be gay in the UK and Europe, including a number of bishops and cardinals. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2008/nov/20/comment-vatican-gay-testing-priests

[hobbit709]

1. Now if they would apply that amount of effort to pedophiles

[cboy4]

2. This Pope is the one who needs a psychological test.

Believe me.

:grr:

[Dogtown]

3. The Church Bosses hate gays *and* women...

What's left but kids?

[old mark]

4. They also hate anyone with a brain or anyone who will

question or stand up to their authority.

We are left with kids again....and a lot of old men in silly clothes.

mark

[Mari333]

5. The more things change...

The more they stay the same.

[MattBaggins]

6. So much for "hate the sin but love the sinner".

So that's out as a big fat lie now. Even if you abstain from sex you possess a "tendency towards an intrinsic moral evil". Well doesn't that cause a bit of a conundrum for the Church? Wouldn't that then also apply to straight priests as possessing that "intrinsic evil" and there for preclude them from serving?

[NOW tense]

7. A circular firing squad

Pathetic. If God's creations are perfect then being gay is perfect too. Now look at yourselves you self loathing fancy dress wearing idiots and ask yourself why you joined the priesthood in the first place.

[Peace Patriot]

8. So sick. So far, far, far, far, far, FAR gone astray from real Christianity, it is difficult

to see how they could find a path back to, "He who is without sin should cast the first stone."

Jesus didn't want a Boys' Club. Jesus didn't want a Holy Roman Empire. You'd think they would be able to SEE this. But as I said, far, far, far, far, FAR gone astray. Blind. Egocentric beyond belief. Worshiping their own pricks. Condemning, anathematizing, excommunicating, purging, silencing others. Defining, confining, imprisoning, crucifying the soul with their bizarre doctrines. Projecting the devil in their own hearts onto others. Toadying to the rich and the powerful. Wearing fine robes. Eating well. They remind me of Marie Antoinette. They remind me of Bushwhacks. They just don't get it. They don't get what the human thing is all about. They seem to lack the gene that accounts for the success of our species: the blank gene upon which anything can be written. The gene of open-mindedness.

[SpiralHawk]

9. The Inquistion - Part XXXXXXVI

[TlalocW]

10. Well, their ranks are going to dwindle

Not because all the men applying for priesthood are gay, but they're all psychologically flawed no matter what their sexual orientation since they're having to give up sex (at least in theory). :)

TlalocW