The Vatican has approved new guidelines for seminaries in Italy, permitting gay men to pursue the priesthood as long as they remain celibate.
The guidelines emphasise that sexual orientation should not be the sole factor in evaluating a candidate’s suitability for the priesthood.
“If a candidate remains chaste, his sexual orientation should not disqualify him from entering the priesthood,” the Vatican document stated.
Seminary directors are encouraged to consider homosexuality as just one part of a candidate’s personality and to assess it within the context of their overall character and vocation.
The guidelines mark a significant clarification on an issue that has sparked debate within the Catholic Church for decades.
They reaffirm the Church’s position that celibacy remains a non-negotiable requirement for all priests but move towards a more inclusive perspective by addressing the treatment of gay candidates.
The Vatican’s decision follows years of criticism over its handling of LGBTQ+ issues, including remarks made by Pope Francis at a May 2024 conference.
During the meeting, the Pope firmly rejected the idea of allowing gay men into the Church, stating that seminaries were already “too full of frociaggine,” a derogatory Italian term roughly translated as “gay behaviour.”
According to the New York Times, Rev. James Martin, a prominent advocate for a more inclusive Church, said, “This is the first time I’ve seen a Vatican-approved document suggest that the discernment of whether a gay man may enter the seminary cannot be based solely on his sexual orientation.”
