Pope Francis signs new ban on gay men to priesthood

The pope has reiterated that gay men will not be allowed to become Roman Catholic priests.

A new Vatican instruction that reaffirms a 2005 ban signed by Pope Benedict XVI resurfaced and further fuels the fires of intolerance and discrimination by the church. This, as Francis famously exclaimed that, “Who am I to judge?,” indeed proves he does judge by not speaking in favour of all who wish to enter the priesthood.

The lame statement he made in 2013 that he did not have a problem with a gay priest’s sexual orientation was followed by as long as “he searches for the Lord and has good will.”

This is purely a strong indication that one may be gay, according to the pontiff, but do not give in to sexual impulses. In other words, the Roman Catholic Church remains opposed to “homosexuality.”

By signing the document, Francis is declaring the church indeed practices discrimination. Unfortunately, we will not see a turnabout in this ongoing intolerance and those gay men who wish to become priests are sidelined and denied being who they are.

According to New Ways Ministry, a national Catholic ministry of justice and reconciliation for LGBT Catholics and the wider church community, the newest document, entitled “The Gift of the Priestly Vocation,” contains three sections about gay men as candidates for the priesthood, and all the messages are negative. “The writers seem to have their eyes closed to the fact that thousands upon thousands of gay men are already serving faithfully and effectively in the Catholic priesthood. Indeed, without gay men, the Church would not be able to operate.”

There is also mention of “the multitude of lesbian women who serve in diverse ministries in the church, whose service allows so much good to happen.” By signing this document, written by Vatican officials, Pope Francis has approved the continuation of blatant discrimination and is a let-down to Catholic LGBTQ+ members, as well as supporters. The New Ways Ministry continues, “At the very least, Pope Francis owes it to the Church, the world, and, not least, the LGBTQ+ community to explain exactly where he stands, given the blatant contradiction between ‘Who am I to judge?’ and this most recent document.”

Discrimination has existed for centuries, and if we continue on this path, that seems endless, we will not succeed in embracing equality for all. Many of our religious leaders, politicians and countless others, seem hell-bent to continue on this destructive path of alienation. This, in a world where bullying and attacks of all sorts continue to take place, we cannot foresee a better future. We have heard the results, and we have read the studies that tell us about the increase in discrimination on a scale that seems to be escalating.

Our sexual orientation, the colour of our skin, the language we speak and whom we love, are some of the realities included in the intolerance that is so horrifically evident. Where does this take us? How do we reconcile with those whose minds are determined to squash folks who practise a certain religion, speak in a different tongue, dress according to one’s background and think in a manner that hopes for a true embrace where love conquers all? Is the world so blinded, and are we truly concerned about the wellbeing of others?

One would think that in 2018 the world population would embrace love for one another, but it seems so far off into the future. Pope Francis, considered a world leader, cannot or indeed will not rid the religious community of discrimination, has the influence to make a difference. He has thrown a curve that informs us his church has no plan to end discrimination.

Gerard Veldhoven is a longtime activist for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. His column appears weekly in The News. Comments and information may be sent to lgbtconnectionsgv@gmail.com.