Theologian: Closeted Priests Fuel Catholic Homophobia

@Verner: the problem is whether or not priests are gay or straight. The problem is that the life of celibate singlehood is extremely attractive to young men who are overwhelmed by their sexuality regardless of their orientation. It’s an “attractive nuisance,” to use a legal simile, which requires seminaries to put forth the effort to weed out maladjusted or poorly-integrated candidates who are looking to escape from dealing with that aspect of their personality development. I have two close relative in the priesthood who went to two different seminaries. One of them went through repeated psychological evaluation to try to determine whether he was running from something or running to something. The other went to a seminary where he was asked some questions by a formation committee and was basically told “tell us what we want to hear.” Both were ordained. One has been having serial affairs with women since a couple years after his ordination. Guess which seminary he went to?

A rather thoughtless commentary. Faithful priests of the Roman rite are celibate. Their orientation is really of no consequence. They sublimate their sexual energies and deny themselves, choosing a life of self-abnegation for the glory of God and in aid of the salvation of their flocks and their own souls. All of them, the gay and straight ones.

no brainer here..I have been writing on this during theses forums for a long time....something new please! gay priests and the Catholic church, a perfect marriage!

Looks like Bette Midler night at the Continental Baths back in the early 70s. @Gary in Tallahassee, "only . . . the ones wearing black." Good call.

@Jack...you are right...Catholics, of course does not own the market on this anymore...As hate is taught to infants, toddlers, primary, elementary ages all toward the teens when most sexual experience acts occur...Again, we are taught to RUN TOWARD THE LIGHT...BE AFRAID OF THE DARK... If a teen wants to be like "christ" then being a priest, minister is natural...

For many, many years, Catholic priests, through the tyranny of church dogma, have managed to shame young gay adolescents (through the confessional and by observation) into picking a church vocation. The ranks of catholic priests swelled in large numbers with shame-based, self-loathing young gay men who could see no alternative except to renounce the most essential aspect of their sexual nature. In an effort to avoid bringing shame to their family and being renounced by the church, they chose a vocation. THOSE DAYS ARE OVER. The gay movement is no longer "fringe", but a vital and growing social-political movement and more and more young gays find an increasingly accepting social-structure for support. The nearly endless supply of cheap manpower has ended.

@Dean...my gaydar only went off at the ones wearing black

Look at the faces of these men in the provided picture. How many times did your gaydar go off?

@Gary in Tallahassee - good lord, your post is funny - I barked out a loud laugh and really scared my cats! "Recruitment campaign", "the dark side", "more than a toaster" - "Yeah, that's the ticket."

I GOT IT (no not a std...lol) We need to have a NATIONAL RECRUITING CAMPAIGN...We need more members. We need to bring them to the dark side. We need to convert more to being gay, then WE WOULD BE THE MAJORITY!!! We need to give more than a toaster for signing on!! Yeah, that's the ticket!