The Italian Bishops Conference (CEI) has introduced updated guidelines stating homosexual candidates may enter seminaries if they observe celibacy.
In a document posted on the CEI website, officials clarified that “the Church, while deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit to the seminary and to Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality.”
The text emphasizes the importance of “the ability to accept as a gift, to freely choose and to live responsibly chastity in celibacy” for those who wish to become priests.
It also indicates that seminary directors should consider each candidate’s overall personality, noting, “it is appropriate not to reduce discernment to this aspect alone” when homosexual tendencies are present.
The guidelines were confirmed by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy, with a three-year provisional period now underway.
In 2024, Pope Francis apologized for using an offensive expression in a private discussion on admitting gay men into seminaries. He said that “there are so many good people … please, however, be careful when receiving them in the seminary.”
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