Gay men can become priests if they embrace ‘celibacy as a gift’, say Italian bishops
"When reference is made to homosexual tendencies, it is appropriate not to reduce discernment to this aspect alone" say new guidelines
Gay men will be permitted to train as priests in Roman Catholic seminaries, Italian bishops have said – so long as they don’t have sex.
Seminaries are educational institutions usually associated with religious organisations.
The new guidelines, approved by the Vatican‘s clergy office, were shared at the Italian Bishops Conference [CIE] late last week.
The guidelines were reportedly adopted by the Italian Bishop’s Conference in November and are to be trialled for three years after going into effect last Thursday.
“Celibacy as a gift”
“In the formative process, when reference is made to homosexual tendencies, it is appropriate not to reduce discernment to this aspect alone,” the CIE said on Friday (10 January 2025).
“The objective of the training for priesthood in the emotional-sexual sphere is the ability [to] welcome chastity in celibacy as a gift, to freely choose and to responsibly live it,” the CIE continued.
As per the New York Times, the guidelines do not change standard Roman Catholic Church teaching that men with “deep-seated” gay tendencies should not become priests, or that “homosexual tendencies” are “intrinsically disordered.”
Responding to the news, the New York-based Rev. James Martin told the NYT: “This is the first time I’ve seen in a Vatican-approved document the suggestion that discernment about whether a gay man may enter the seminary cannot be determined simply by his sexual orientation.”
“In the Church, there is room for everyone”
Last year, Pope Francis was apologised after being widely criticised for using the anti-gay slur “frociaggine” in a closed-door meeting.
Matteo Bruni, the director of the Holy See – the Catholic Church’s governing body – responded to the backlash, saying: “Pope Francis is aware of the articles that have come out recently concerning a conversation he had with bishops… behind closed doors.”
Bruni furthermore continued: “As he [the Pope] has stated on more than one occasion, ‘In the Church, there is room for everyone – everyone! Nobody is useless or superfluous, there is room for everyone, just the way we are.’”
The statement adds: “The Pope never meant to offend or to use homophobic language, and apologises to everyone who felt offended [or] hurt by the use of a word.”