The old lay about gay priests

[wiseheart]

The only slightly negative aspect of my recent birthday festivities is that in the excitement, I forgot to record a program on German TV on Sunday. They showed a report about the treating of homosexuality in the Catholic Church, and I wanted to see it. The newest thing is, that gay people can't become priests, while they expect from gay people to be "honest" about it and come out, thus making it impossible to follow their calling.

Now, I know there has been a lot of bad press concering priests, and a good percentage of it is probably true. But if we are assuming that children are endangered because of the simple fact that priests aren't allowed to have sex at all, why don't we assume that little girls are in just as much danger by straight priests? Why this frigging double morale again? Or do people think that straight priests have more than enough willing women who'd sleep with them anyway?

In my opinion, the Catholic Church should change some of her stupid, untimely rules that have nothing to do with bringing the Gospel to all people. They'd have a lot more priests that way - there are people, male and female, who would and could happily do the job but don't feel the calling to a life of rigind loneliness - and the priests would probably be a lot happier. Which would make the Gospel the more believable, I guess. And if someone still feels to be called for a life in celibacy, they could always become monks, nuns or hermits, for God's sake.

And people are wondering why I left the Church in all but by an official act.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

That sounds like an interesting program. I wonder if there will be an American version?

Oof. You've broached a complicated and difficult subject for not just the general populace, but many of the Catholic faithful. I think the short answer to the Church banning homosexual people from pursuing the priesthood is that it considers them to be "intrinsically disordered" and thus ineligible the same way that say, the mentally ill would be. There is no comparison between the two groups in any Church literature that I have seen, of course, but the fact that the result is still the same provokes a definite feeling of insult. I have not seen anything that attempts to justify it based on homosexual = pedophile. Certainly there were also little girls and young women who have brought lawsuits into the fray, so such an argument would hold no water anyway. And I have no doubt that there are homosexual priests who have managed celibacy as successfully as any heterosexual ones, and been holy and inspirational leaders. What position are they in now?

The thing about the Church is that its decisions are (usually) imminently logical based on what it believes. It's the core belief shaping the decision (in this case, homosexuality = "intrinsically disordered") that has to be undercut to make any headway in arguments.

Augh! I hope you have not lost all the warm, fuzzy feelings that your birthday brought to you! I was happy to see that your party went very well. (Mine was Monday also, as I mentioned in an earlier posting, but by contrast it was very quiet!)

Denise

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

The interesting thing is that the Church wasn always this bigot. Look up this article (http://www.drizzle.com/~slmndr/salamandir/pubs/irishtimes/opt3.htm) about a more enlightened time when gay marriage was actually a rite in the Church. There were even supposed gay couples that got raised to sainthood!

Certainly there were also little girls and young women who have brought lawsuits into the fray, so such an argument would hold no water anyway.

Certainly, but, you see, this is where that goddamn double morale comes into the game again. Girls and young women don't count, because rape and other kinds of sexual abuse are things that "just happen" to females. It's considered a sad but accepted fact. When it happens to males, on the other hand, it's a lot more outrageous, apparently - and thus makes better news. More exciting ones. Raises the quotes. That sort of thing.

Augh! I hope you have not lost all the warm, fuzzy feelings that your birthday brought to you!

Nah, I've lost my illusions concerning the Catholic Church when I left my convent for good. Yeah, hard to imagine, I know, but I used to be a Catholic nun once. I left the institution Church in order to be able to keep my faith in a loving God. So far, it's worked well enough for me.

[(Anonymous)]

An interesting article, and the first time I'd seen that particular historical perspective. Thanks for the link - I need to spend more time going over it in depth.

Girls and young women don't count, because rape and other kinds of sexual abuse are things that "just happen" to females. It's considered a sad but accepted fact.

Not much of a commentary on our "enlightened" times, is it? I don't want to knock men who genuinely believe in and work hard at women's equality issues, but there are so many subtler things like that prevailing, and little attention or action seems to get put to it. And it generally gets much, much worse the farther you go from Europe and Canada/US.

I used to be a Catholic nun once.

So that's how you knew Sister Hedwiga! I wondered if you'd been part of a convent in some way, since your intro about her in "Last Yule" implied a strong familiarity.

So far, it's worked well enough for me.

Well, most of us are just trying to find and/or stay on the "best path" for ourselves, right? In spirit, mind and body. And are very fortunate when we find it, I think.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, the dear old Sister Hedwiga! She was great fun to work with, may she rest in peace.

One day, I'll have to write a hommage to Sister Anna, though. She was a fairly peculiar creature - quirky but very loveable. You meet the strangest people in a convent, I could populate Halabor with my former co-sisters. Well, the female part of the population anyway.

[jilba.livejournal.com]

This whole subject is quite complex isn't it? I watched a program on the Catholic Church and priests, and the presenter after talking to many priests felt that in America at least, around 40% of priests were gay. Frankly, I don't think it matters one way or another if a priest is gay, straight, male, female, married or single. I mean a thousand years or so ago, I believe it was reasonably common for priests to marry!

Celibacy ought to be an individual choice, not forced on people. Honestly, I think married priests could understand the day to day life problems facing their flock a bit better.

As for the sexual abuse issues...that's a complex one. Again, this American program felt only about 5% of priests were sexual predators, about the same as the lay community. So, I suspect that sexual misbehaviour is a state of mind with some people and has nothing to do with occupations.

Plus I agree with updating the Church, bringing it into the 21st Century and they're be a lot more people going back. There is a small Catholic church at the end of my street, and I don't think anyone under 60 attends, and the church is not full by any means. Sad, really.