Pope Francis has reportedly encouraged a 22-year-old gay man to continue pursuing his vocation to the priesthood after he was not accepted into a Catholic seminary.
According to Il Messaggero, the pope responded to an email from Lorenzo Michele Noè Caruso, telling him to “go ahead” with his vocation. This response came just days after the Vatican issued an apology for the pope’s use of a slur in reference to seminarians who identify as gay.
Caruso, who was rejected from the seminary after revealing his sexual identity, had written a lengthy email to Pope Francis on May 28, sharing his story and the struggles of many who, “like me, live at the margins of the Church.” In his response, Pope Francis condemned clericalism and emphasized that “Jesus calls all, all,” encouraging Caruso to pursue his vocation.
The pope’s handwritten note, sent as an email attachment on June 1, also criticized the notion that the Church should act as a “customs house,” saying, “The Church should be open to everyone.”
In his letter, the pope told Caruso to “go forward with your vocation,” adding, “I pray for you, please do it for me, I need it.”
Caruso expressed that the letter gave him hope, saying, “when a religious person discovered my sexuality… they would retreat.”
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