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Continue reading Arlington Summary from the John Jay Study.
Controversies: February 2004 Archives
Is anyone else completely bored with the subject of homosexuality? I just don't find it very interesting; never have, really. I can't seem to avoid the subject, though. In college, I wrote an opinion column for the newspaper, and people were always accusing me of being "against" gays, when I never wrote a single word about them.
From a religious perspective, I believe what the Church teaches. From a civic perspective, I would just as soon leave homosexuals alone, as long as they aren't out trying to indoctrinate our children or corrupt our institutions. I'm willing to bet a majority of Americans feel the same way: do what you want, and we won't stop you, but we'd just as soon not think about the things you do in private.
This year, it's astonishing that we're going to spend a huge amount of time publicly arguing about whether marriage is between a man and a woman. Doubtless, next year we will have another battle about whether water is "wet," not dry.
This week I learned from a friend who works at the USCCB that there is a draft before the vocations committee that would explicitly allow homosexuals to enter a program for priestly formation. I was told one of the requirements is that they have lived a chaste life for three years prior to entering the seminary.
If one takes this to its logical conclusion it will permit and even institutionalize a gay subculture in our seminaries. Talks on chastity and celibacy would have to be talored for two kinds of candidates - straight and gay. Can you imagine the effect this would have on the straight men in priestly formation? On the culture of our seminaries? My impression is that seminaries in the US have been successful in rooting out the so-called "sewing circles" - if this draft becomes part of the new program for priestly formation the gay subculture wouldn't be swept under the rug and not spoken of in polite company, it would be part of the institutions themselves.
