Rome, Dec. 15 (CWNews.com) - A group of self-professed gay Italian priests have protested the Vatican's policy barring homosexuals from seminaries.
The priests, who issued a public statement but declined to identify themselves, said that in light of a Vatican Instruction released late in November, they felt like "unloved and unwanted children" of the Church.
Rejecting the Vatican's statement that homosexuality is a disorder that prevents "affective maturity," the protesting priests said that their same-sex impulses had "not stopped us from being good priests." They argued that the discrimination they encounter because of their sexual orientation helps them to be sensitive to other victims of prejudice and injustice.
"We are not sick," the priests claimed in their statement. They added that their same-sex attractions had "not harmed our psychological health." They also said that they had no more difficulty in remaining celibate than heterosexual priests.
The Italian priests' statement appeared on the web site of the Adista news agency-- the same agency which posted the entire text of the Vatican Instruction in November, a week before it was officially released.
According to Adista, the protest statement was signed by 39 Italian priests. None of these priests were identified.
The priests, who issued a public statement but declined to identify themselves, said that in light of a Vatican Instruction released late in November, they felt like "unloved and unwanted children" of the Church.
Rejecting the Vatican's statement that homosexuality is a disorder that prevents "affective maturity," the protesting priests said that their same-sex impulses had "not stopped us from being good priests." They argued that the discrimination they encounter because of their sexual orientation helps them to be sensitive to other victims of prejudice and injustice.
"We are not sick," the priests claimed in their statement. They added that their same-sex attractions had "not harmed our psychological health." They also said that they had no more difficulty in remaining celibate than heterosexual priests.
The Italian priests' statement appeared on the web site of the Adista news agency-- the same agency which posted the entire text of the Vatican Instruction in November, a week before it was officially released.
According to Adista, the protest statement was signed by 39 Italian priests. None of these priests were identified.
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