[Olive]

I know a priest who is gay, and he says many priests are gay and many nuns are lesbians. Is this true? If so, why? I have a few theories, but I don’t know that much about the Catholic Church.

User Detail :  

Name : Olive, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 20, City : Seattle, State : WA, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, 

[Jessica30660]

While there are indeed gay priests and lesbian nuns, most priests and nuns are straight (like society at large). The Catholic Church has no problem with homosexual people, only as long as they are celibate (like unmarried heterosexual people). Thus, there would be no conflict in faith if a priest or a nun were homosexual. The conflict would come only in sexual activity. I do not personally know any gay priests, but one could venture to guess that a faithful Catholic who was torn between sexual orientation and his faith might choose the priesthood and not be vilified by society.

User Detail :  

Name : Jessica30660, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 19, City : Spokane, State : WA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Frank]

There are a lot of gay people in all occupations except for perhaps the most explicitly homophobic organizations (such as the Ku Klux Klan, Family Research Council, etc.) and even in those closeted gays who haven’t discovered and gained an understanding of their orientation are often members. Many gay Catholics, both laymen and clergy, hope to bring the officially sexist and homophobic Roman Catholic Church closer to God’s message of love. It is possible to help may the Church a more positive force in the world by working from within it rather than abandoning it. Also, even today’s bigoted Catholic doctrine doesn’t say sexuality (orientation) is immoral but only that sex (action) is. Since Catholic priests and nuns must be celibate, joining the priesthood may be away to avoid embracing one’s sexuality since it can then be considered a non-issue.

User Detail :  

Name : Frank, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : white Southerner, Religion : Methodist, Age : 23, City : Washington, State : DC, Country : United States, Occupation : statistician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Bill23073]

The Catholic Church teaches that it is not sinful to be homosexual, but it is sinful to commit homosexual acts. The church teaches that homosexuals are ‘called to celibacy.’ A good Catholic who happens to be homosexual by nature would remain celibate, and if he or she were able to do so might make a good priest or nun.

Some people want to jump on the Church for its stand on homosexuals. The Church forbids homosexual acts because they are acts that cannot lead to procreation, which the Church considers God’s intended use for sexual activity. Using that logic, masturbation and birth control would also be forbidden, for the same reasons as homosexuality.

User Detail :  

Name : Bill23073, Gender : M, City : Chesapeake, State : VA, Country : United States, 

[Marcia22188]

Does that mean the Catholic Church also considers sex between married people a sin if one of the partners is infertile or the woman is post-menopausal? How about when the woman is pregnant? And why is the rhythym method, which is designed to prevent conception by limiting sex to infertile days ok?

User Detail :  

Name : Marcia22188, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Author]

Posts