In defense of (healthy, dedicated) gay priests
by Martin Marty in CONTEXT (Feb. 1, 2003; Vol. 35, Number 3)

         One cannot do justice to debates that rage throughout Catholicism (and elsewhere) these years without reporting conscientiously on the controversies concerning homosexual clerics. The Jesuit journal America offered this editorially: "Healthy and dedicated gay men serving in the priesthood make an important contribution to the life of the church. The burden of proof, therefore, lies with those who would seek to prevent such ordinations in the future. And the arguments advanced to support that conclusion are unconvincing."

         To wit: "Gay priests cannot truly live celibately because they do not 'give up' anything but a moral evil. This argument represents an impoverished view of celibacy, viewing it simply as sacrifice rather than as a positive way of loving others. Certainly celibacy involves sacrifice, but claiming that gay priests cannot make the required sacrifice ignores the sacrifices they make in other areas of their lives. Like all priests, they offer the church their time, their energy, their obedience--indeed, their lives. Moreover, because of the difficulty in speaking about their situations, gay priests make this sacrifice largely in silence. . . ."

         The editor gets personal toward the end: "Michael Ford, the author of biographies of both Henri Nouwen and Mychal Judge, O.F.M., told America that these men 'became more authentic priests precisely because their struggles revealed to them an inner truth: that spirituality and homosexuality were not competing forces within them, but rather mutually dependent gifts from the same Divine Source.'

         "Ensuring that the church ordains only psychologically healthy priests is one answer to the sexual abuse crisis. Scapegoating healthy and celibate gay priests is not. Historically, the ministry of gay priests has represented a significant contribution to the Catholic Church. Preventing the ordination of gay men would deprive the church of many productive, hard-working, and dedicated ministers and would, moreover, ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who has called these men to holy orders." Take it from here, Catholics and non-Catholics, pros and cons. -- (America, 11/11/02)

Reprinted with permission from CONTEXT, Published 22 times a year by Claretian Publications, www.contextonline.org 1-800-328-6515 current subscriptions at $34.95 per year.