Tuesday, December 13, 2005
THE DOCUMENT'S RECEPTION IN IRELAND
13 December 2005
Ask the archbishop of Dublin to describe the theological weight of the Vatican's latest statement on whether gay men have a place in the priesthood. He'll say it didn't amount to much.
In Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's opinion, the document issued last month left a fundamental tenet untouched: The path to possible ordination is still open to anyone, including homosexuals, who remain celibate and follow the church's moral teachings.
Martin is not alone. A high-profile array of European pastors and theologians have issued similar liberal interpretations of the Vatican's "instruction" on gay priests, which was formally released Nov. 29 after years of internal debates and redrafts.
Such views are squarely at odds with conservative Roman Catholic blocs, including some in the United States, that believe the church is in effect endorsing a blanket ban on gay priests. But the complications don't end there.
The cluttered response to the document - and its hard-to-define phrases such as "transitory" homosexuality - suggests many church leaders will increasingly follow their own standards for seminaries and ordination. Some experts say this could invite greater splits among Catholics on the hypersensitive issue of gays as spiritual leaders, which is already threatening the unity of Anglicans and some Protestant churches.
Continue reading...
The article claims that this document may amount to the sequal to Humane Vitae. Frankly, I doubt it because as the article indicates, it doesn't carry the same weight.
