The Vatican has given the green light for Italian guidelines to allow gay men to become priests, as long as they remain celibate.
According to The Telegraph, the Italian Bishops Conference announced the revised rules on Friday, reversing Pope Francis’s earlier stance that gay men shouldn’t be allowed to enroll in seminaries.
The revised criteria state that prospective priests must demonstrate “an orientation towards celibate life.”
The Vatican appears to be relaxing its previous regulations, stating that seminaries, the institutions for aspiring priests, should not admit individuals with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies.”
New rules to become priest
Last month, Pope Francis, who turned 88, received praise for his efforts to engage the LGBTQ community since taking office in 2013, despite the Catholic Church’s doctrine describing gay behavior as “intrinsically disordered.”
He said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” a few weeks after taking over as Pope Benedict XVI.
In November 2023, the country’s bishops agreed on new rules for admitting priests to Italian seminaries.
The Vatican approved the new regulations, which included a clause that said men could not be denied the opportunity to serve as priests just because they are gay.
The new regulations, released over the weekend, now apply for a three-year trial in all Italian churches.
Italian seminaries cannot use homosexuality as the sole factor for denying someone priesthood, according to the regulations.
However, the criteria prohibit men who embrace the “so-called gay culture” and have “deeply rooted homosexual tendencies” from training to become priests.
Priests fully dedicate themselves to their religious commitments and serving their community without the burden of family obligations by practicing celibacy, which they regard as a spiritual discipline.
Priests Culture
The Vatican, the regulatory body of the Roman Catholic Church, establishes and monitors the laws and procedures for people aspiring to become priests.
In the Roman Catholic Church, only men are allowed to become priests. This restriction arises from centuries of tradition and theological interpretation, viewing the priesthood as a continuation of the role played by Jesus Christ’s male apostles.
In order to become a priest, a man must complete a rigorous training program, usually in a seminary.
Candidates for the priesthood must take a vow of celibacy in addition to receiving pastoral and academic training.
This vow represents a life wholly devoted to God and the Church and includes a promise to refrain from marriage and all sexual activity.
Candidates show their commitment to the principles and standards of the Roman Catholic priesthood by following these guidelines.
