Anger at Vatican document's 'homophobic' priest ban
Wednesday November 30 2005
David Quinn
Religious Affairs
Correspondent
ANGRY members of Ireland's gay community branded a controversial Vatican document as "homophobic".
The document bans homosexuals who have been sexually active over the last three years from becoming priests.
Editor of Gay Community News Brian Finnegan accused the Church of trying to shift the blame for the paedophile scandals on to homosexuals.
But, this has been strongly denied by president of the national seminary Mgr Dermot Farrell.
He said the document makes "no connection between homosexuality and paedophilia," and that he personally did not believe there was any connection.
The Vatican document, which was officially released yesterday, says that anyone who has had sex with another man in the last three years, or has "deep-seated homosexual tendencies", or is a supporter of the "so-called gay culture", should not be admitted to the priesthood.
An earlier draft of the document was reported to have taken a harder line by seeking to ban anyone with homosexual tendencies, even if never sexually active, from the priesthood.
The new document does not apply to homosexuals who are already ordained.
Reacting to the document, Mr Finnegan said: "I think it's intrinsically homophobic. I think it is a slap in the face for all normal gay clergy who have served the Catholic Church well over the past centuries.
"I think it will create an atmosphere of sexual paranoia in seminaries. I think they're cutting off their nose to spite their face, as many gay people are attracted to faiths. It is a back-handed scape-goating of gay men for the Church's sexual scandals. What's the Church doing about paedophiles?"
He rejected any suggestion that there was a connection between homosexuality and paedophilia as some Catholics, particularly in America, have argued.
WORD FROM ROME:
