The Holy See has endorsed a document allowing those with same-sex attraction to pursue the priesthood in Italy. The Italian Episcopal Conference, the group of Roman Catholic bishops in Italy, released a document in 2023 at their 78th General Conference: “The formation of priests in churches in Italy. Guidelines and standards for seminaries.”
On Dec. 8, 2024, the Vatican’s Office of the Dicastery for the Clergy decreed that the document was in effect. The 2023 document cited a 2005 publication titled “Instruction Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in view of their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders.”
According to the Holy See, “In relation to people with homosexual tendencies who approach the Seminaries, or who discover this situation during training, in line with their own Magisterium, the Church, while deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit to the Seminary and to Holy Orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called gay culture.”
However, this new document softened the official stance of the Catholic church. According to this latest ruling, people with same-sex attractions are not banned from pursuing the priesthood in Italy. While the guidelines stress priests have an obligation to “welcome chastity as a gift, to freely choose it and live it responsibly in celibacy,” the new documents still represent a massive shift.
The release stated, “In the training process, when one does reference homosexual tendencies, it is also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate to grasp its meaning of the global framework of the young person’s personality, so that, knowing himself and integrating the objectives of his human and priestly vocation, he reaches a general harmony.”
This controversial decision came after Pope Francis faced backlash from LGBTQ activists. Last year, reports surfaced which allege the Pope used an anti-gay slur when discussing with 160 priests whether to admit men “with homosexual tendencies to seminaries.” He stressed “the need to welcome them and accompany them in the Church and the prudential indication of the Dicastery for the Clergy regarding their entry into the seminary.”
While he used anti-gay slurs to describe the atmosphere in the Vatican, Francis insisted that the Catholic Church should “be careful” to not “despise people with homosexual tendencies” but rather “to accompany them, because there are so many good people.” He called to “accompany” and “help” individuals with same-sex attraction, but tempered the message.
He remained committed to the need to “be careful about accepting them in the seminary.” Weeks before this decision, he spoke directly to the Italian Episcopal Conference as they were considering this issue, stating, “If a young man wants to enter the seminary and has a homosexual tendency: stop him.” The Pontiff added, “This is something that the Dicastery for the Clergy has said and I support, because today the homosexual culture has progressed so much and there are good young men who want the Lord, but it’s better not to [admit them to seminary].”