According to new guidelines approved by the Vatican, gay men in Italy can be trained to become Catholic priests, provided they do not "support the so-called gay culture." This guideline, issued by the Italian Episcopal Conference, emphasizes the requirement of celibacy while also opening the door for gay men to enter seminaries (the theological schools that train priests).
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02-04, 2025However, the guidelines also come with a warning that those who openly flaunt their gay identity should be barred from entering seminaries. A section of the 68-page document specifically addresses "those with homosexual tendencies who wish to enter seminary or who discover themselves in this situation during training." The document states: "While the Church has deep respect for the individuals concerned, it cannot allow those who engage in homosexual acts, have deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called gay culture to enter seminary and receive holy orders."
Nevertheless, the guidelines also indicate that when considering a future priest's "homosexual tendencies," the Church should "understand its significance from the overall personality of the young man" to achieve "overall harmony." The goal of training priests is to be "capable of accepting, freely choosing, and living a chaste life in celibacy." The Episcopal Conference stated in a declaration that the new guidelines have been approved by the Vatican.
Pope Francis has encouraged a more inclusive Roman Catholic Church during his tenure, including being more inclusive of LGBTQ Catholics, though official doctrine still considers homosexual acts to be "intrinsically disordered." In 2013, shortly after taking office, Francis famously said: "If someone is gay and he is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?" However, according to two Italian newspapers, in June of this year, the Pope used a vulgar, derogatory term for homosexuals during a closed-door meeting with Italian bishops, causing a minor controversy. The Pope expressed his opposition to gay men entering seminaries, saying there were already too many "frociaggine" (an offensive Roman term for "faggotry") in the schools.
Some observers have welcomed the new guidelines. The head of New Ways Ministry, a US-based organization providing Catholic outreach to LGBTQ individuals, called it "a big step forward." Francis DeBernardo of the organization said: "It clarifies previous ambiguous statements about homosexual seminary candidates that have cast suspicion on them. This ambiguity has led to much fear and discrimination in the Church." Another LGBTQ Catholic advocate, Jesuit Father James Martin of the United States, told AFP that this is the first Vatican-approved document to include the concept that judging who is eligible to join the seminary "cannot be reduced solely to whether he is homosexual." Martin said he interprets the new rules to mean that "if a gay man can live a healthy, chaste and celibate life, then he may be considered."
