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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 28, 2005 Case In Point: Our Brother’s Keeper By Chris Honoré Tidings Correspondent The long-awaited Vatican document regarding gay men in the priesthood is due to be released early this week. Andrea Tornielli, a Vatican specialist for Il Giornale, a Milan newspaper, who saw the document, reported that gays have been banned, with few exceptions, from becoming ordained priests. The document appears to allow ordination only for those men who have had “transitory” homosexual inclinations that were “clearly overcome” at least three years before becoming a deacon, which is the last milestone before becoming a priest. Apparently it is the seminaries and bishops that must evaluate all candidates, judging whether the prospective priest has any sexual disorders that might be incompatible with the church. Though not as strident as the 1961 ban on homosexuals from the priesthood, this document explicitly bans active gays or candidates who might possess “deep-seated homosexual tendencies.” The term “deep-seated” is, apparently, not defined. As well, it bans men “who are actively homosexual, or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’” Again, what defines the “gay culture” is not made clear. It was also reported that the document makes the assumption that homosexuals “find themselves in a situation that seriously obstructs them from properly relating to men and women.” Why being a homosexual would result in such an obstruction is not explained. Is the church in possession of research that concludes categorically that those who are gay have problems relating to others and this dysfunction stems from their gayness and no other source? What is the correlation? What are the qualities that are attached to gayness that are not attached to a straight priest? The church does not explicate. What is clear is that the Catholic church has singled out a group of individuals for condemnation; yet they have done so in a most ambiguous, if not blatantly discriminatory way. While the church teaches that homosexuality is not a sin, it does state that homosexual acts are. But if a priest enters into a covenant with the church and with God that he will remain celibate, then why would a man’s sexual orientation be at all relevant? Or is this Vatican document saying something even more insidious? Is there embedded in this edict an implicit connection between being a gay man and being a pedophile? Has the church embraced the idea that those who are gay are far more likely to sexually abuse and exploit children? Is this the church’s way of addressing the dark scandals of 2002 when a number of priests were found to be pedophiles? In effect, scapegoating gay men in this manner gives substance to an argument that is as erroneous as other malevolent myths that have been perpetrated against women and minorities for centuries. It’s the equivalent of placing a woman in a sack filled with rocks, as was once done during the Salem witch trials, and claiming that if the woman floats, she’s a witch. If she drowns, she’s not. Either way, she’s condemned. In truth, there is no evidence, from any reputable source, that gays engage in acts of pedophilia to any degree greater than the general population. For the church to link homosexuality with pedophilia not only perpetrates an egregious and injurious stereotype, but it distracts from the fact that when the church discovered that some of its priests were preying on boys, it chose to cover up the problem rather than confront it aggressively. It was a decision that assured future victims and was a failure of will and morality. Experts have weighed in and debunked the fallacious connection between homosexuality and pedophilia, a linkage that too often goes unchallenged. Roland Summit, M.D., head physician of Community Consolation Service, Harbor UCLA Medical Center has been quoted as saying, “Male offenders who abuse young boys maintain adult heterosexual relationships. The habitual molester of young boys is rarely attracted to adult males. The vast majority of offenders are heterosexual men.” The Pediatric Forum, in the “Journal of American Medical Association,” stated, “There is no medical evidence to suggest an association between homosexuality and impaired moral judgment.” Ultimately, for all of its rhetoric of inclusion, its doctrine of redemption, its profession of following in the footprints of Jesus, the church finds itself in a morally indefensible position. one that will never be resolved by targeting those who it finds most vulnerable. Case in Point is a weekly editorial column designed to provide in-depth commentary on current events. Responses should be less than 250 words and sent to [email protected] DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams