Catholic Church Will Now Allow Gay Men To Become Priests

The Vatican has approved new guidelines from Italian bishops that allow gay men to enter seminaries as long as they abstain from sex, in an unexpected adjustment to how the global Catholic Church considers possible future priests.

The new guidelines, posted without fanfare on the website of the Italian bishops’ conference on Thursday, say seminary directors should consider a priestly candidate’s sexual preferences, but only as one aspect of their personality.

“When referring to homosexual tendencies in the formation process, it is also appropriate not to reduce the discernment to this aspect alone, but … to understand its meaning within the whole framework of the young person’s personality,” state the guidelines.

The Italian bishops said they approved the document in November. The text is accompanied by a note from the Vatican’s clergy office, confirming the guidelines as effective for a trial period of three years.

But the admittance of gay men into the priesthood has remained something of a taboo subject. Priests who are gay often express fear about discussing their sexuality.

Francis approved the 2016 Vatican instruction, which was largely an update of a previous document issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.