Has anyone heard of the Catholic Church turfing out priests who are gay?

This is not a sarcastic or mean-spirited comment but I haven't heard of this happening. And if they kicked out one priest merely for being gay, what is the excuse for leaving all the others in place?

(I'm trying to urgently help someone with major problems but can't give any specific details).

Thanks for any useful, accurate info on this.

(I hope it goes without saying that there is a huge difference between gay priests and the pedophiles that have been in the news. I need to know if it is customary for a gay priest with no other issues to be defrocked for being gay).

It's just like the mormons. You can be gay, you just can't act on those impulses.

OK, he said he was ex'd merely for being gay.

Would you think he is not disclosing the whole story (i.e., he did act?)

I've never heard of the Catholic church exing a priest merely for being gay. I don't think it's an issue at all. Excommunication in the Catholic church is relatively rare.

Of course, all priests take vows of celibacy.

Even if your friend fell off the wagon, I'm not convinced that they would ex him as long as he was repentant.

I don't think that you're getting the whole story.

It's my guess there is more to the story.

If he is still interested in ministry, The Old Catholic Church of America, has no problem with gay priests and will in fact ordain and encardenate openly gay priests.

It's been a while, since I've been a Catholic, but as far as I recall, it's all about being celibate as a priest. The whole spiel about "hate the sin, love the sinner" applies too, i.e.: it's all right to be a gay priest, but you have to be celibate- just like the hetero priests.

As I said, it's been a while since I've looked at this sort of thing. Off the top of my head my knowledge comes from roughly 2005.

It really doesn't add up, unless there are highly unusual circumstances involved.


I don't think you're getting the whole/straight story.

No, gay priests are never defrocked simply because they are gay. I have known several who were *obviously* gay, and no one (neither parishoners nor the hierarchy) seemed to care.

There was some noise from the Vatican at the peak of the sex scandal coverage a couple of years ago about being more careful to weed out gay candidates for the priesthood, but it hasn't gone anywhere...probably because there are plenty of gay priests, and also probably because there are enough smart people (believe it or not) in the Catholic hierarchy to be well aware that homosexuality and pedophilia are not the same thing.

A priest I know in Florida, Alberto Cutie, recently moved over to the Episcopal church from being a Roman Catholic priest for many years because he fell in love and got married. He wrote a book recently called Dilemma. One thing he criticizes is the church's stand that gays are "intrinsically disordered." He points out the inconsistency in that doctrine and the church's reliance on gay priests saying that there are so many gay priests on all levels that the Catholic church would be unable to function without them. His point was about their value to the church and the fact there are so many the church would be paralyzed if it decided to defrock them so it keeps them but tells the world that being homosexual is a disorder.

Defrock is such a funny word. It sounds nasty.

But anyway, it seems commonly understood that the Catholic church does not remove gay priests as long as they are celibate.

Thanks. I appreciate the insights.

I was slow to recognize that likely he is not disclosing all the facts. That's fine, I still want to try and help him. He may just not have wanted to give too many personal details.

I did just connect with someone in the know who also confirmed that merely being gay does not get you defrocked.

I appreciate the note about the church that would allow him to still work as a priest. We're not in the USA though. It's a good tip though; I'll check around and see if such a denomination/church operates in his area.

I do think that it's really rough when a church group turfs someone out of their midst. It is likely following a bad event or a tough time in a person's life and the last thing they need is to be kicked out of their familiar group. Unless such an action opens their eyes to other routes possible for them in their lives, that is, I guess.

I just hate it when a person is in need and feels they have nowhere to turn. I don't think it's a church's role to abandon its people right when they most need assistance.

They don't ex them if they haven't acted on the sexual preference....but now the screening process including the psych test tells all and they are NOT encouraged to begin seminary...they don't want them.

stormy