Proposal to exclude gay priests unjust

By Dinah Stephens

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding gay rights, the Vatican is expected to release a new directive which may potentially ban homosexuals from the priesthood.

As of now, the details of this document remain purely speculative. Most likely it won't affect already ordained priests but may regulate who is allowed to enter the seminary, possibly excluding those who identify as gay.

The reasoning behind this potential ban on gay priests is severely flawed. The Vatican claims to be worried about a gay subculture existing within seminaries, believing that sexual temptation might take away focus from a commitment to faith.

However, all priests take a vow of celibacy, regardless of sexual orientation. If these vows are taken seriously, there should be no need to physically separate people who may or may not be attracted to one another.

And the Vatican is taking measures to ensure that prospective priests are mentally prepared to handle the lifestyle to which they commit.

Thomas Plante, a Catholic psychologist who has been employed by the Church to screen seminary candidates, is also a professor here at Santa Clara. For about 15 years he has been providing mental profiles of candidates. His reports include a general overview of the candidate's mental health to be used in determining whether that person is capable of and serious about undertaking the role and lifestyle of a priest.

Sexual orientation is just one of the aspects included, and until recently, has not been a deterrent factor. But after this new directive from the Vatican, it may very well become one.

Some people are insisting that banning homosexual priests will stop the abuse of children within the church. This belief is completely unfounded. The vast majority of child abusers are heterosexual males.

The fact that about 80 percent of the victims were male results simply from the amount of contact that priests had with boys as opposed to girls. If putting a stop to abuse is the Vatican's goal, then banning homosexuals is not going to accomplish it. Other solutions, such as allowing the ordination of women (who are less likely to be abusers) seem like more efficient ways of stamping out the problem. As Plante points out, "homosexuality is in itself not a risk factor" in regards to child abuse.

Although a 1961 document does technically restrict gay men from the priesthood, it has been largely ignored, and the Catholic Church has continued to welcome all men who have a strong commitment to their role as a priest. In fact, it is estimated that about 30 percent of priests are gay.

As students at Santa Clara, many of us have had wonderful Jesuit professors and mentors, and it is awful to think that some of these men may have been either deterred from the priesthood or forced to repress their identity based on their sexual preference. As Plante says, "sexual orientation doesn't predict whether you're going to be a good priest."

If the Vatican enforces a ban on gays in the priesthood, or even a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" policy, this sends a terrible message to gay priests, as well as gay Catholic followers. As Plante explains, it is a message which says, "We don't want your kind."

At a school where we are taught to value competence, conscience, and compassion, this kind of arbitrary exclusion seems to oppose what we stand for.

Dinah Stephens is a senior English major.