Ex-Seminarian wants gay priests out of the closet

Right cause, wrong approach.

I have to agree with Jckdoors-right cause, wrong approach. Invading another person's privacy for a polital agenda, even a worthy one, is wrong. What about the church's silence and complicity in child-abuse cases? That is a different matter and should rightfully be brought to light. If the Catholic Church wants to survive, it may be wise to reconsider celebacy as a requirements for priests. Few people can life up to this ideal, and if they can't, the consequences could be devestating. Ditto for "outting" someone without their permission.

I agree with JCKDoors as well. From what I've read elsewhere, numerous gay men seek to become Catholic priests because they mistakenly believe that the vocation will cure them of their romantic and sexual attraction to other men. It's similar to how some gay men enter military service believing that this will "make men out of them."

The real problem is the widespread belief that homosexuality is shameful. One can argue that organizations that promote that belief, such as the Catholic Church or the Southern Baptist Convention, bear some responsibility for making gays feel ashamed of their attractions. And I can understand why Attey believes that Catholic priests who are gay have some complicity in promoting shame. But pressuring those priests to out themselves is not only wrong but also turns them into scapegoats. The real targets of Attey's righteous fury should be the denomination leaders who are actively fighting same-sex marriage.

This development is really beyond the pale.

Attey's website says "The goal of this site is not to force Catholic priests out of the closet against their will. The goal of this campaign is to aggregate reports on every gay priest in the Archdiocese, so that we can work with them, one on one, helping them stand up to the the church hierarchy's stand on this important issue."

Let's charitably assume for the moment that the campaign will not actually out Catholic clergy against their will. What makes Attey think that it's his job to work with priests "one by one" to "help" them reject tenets of their religion and come round to his point of view? Is he the spiritual advisor of these folks? Is he qualified to be instructing clergy on the Magisterium, or on the responsibilities of their clerical vocations?

Attey also talks about the stand up against the "harmful new direction the Church hierarchy is taking the Holy Mother Church", although it's not clear why he thinks the Church isn't pointing in the same direction it always has.

If he has any filial regard for what he calls "Holy Mother Church", perhaps he ought to commit some humble reflection to the possibility that the Magisterium is correct and he is wrong. And even if the "Holy Mother Church" bit is purely lip service (or worse) on his part, common sense ought to inform him that that gay but faithful priests don't need or want a pushy "tough love intervention" from a total stranger with an ax to grind, any more than you or I would need or want such a thing.

A priest's public vow of celibacy and perfect sexual continence is key to the power base of the priesthood. He has no sexual right to privacy because of the public vow he has taken. Priests live in fishbowls. The gay priests who get kicked out of the predominantly gay priesthood are those who have carelessly opened the curtain hiding the secret sexual lives of priests so that the public gan get a glimplse of what is really going on. I was in the seminary and priesthood for 18 years. The most surprise kiss I ever received was from a priest. A number of priests declared their lust for me and invited me to bed. My integrity compelled me to quit. If I were a gay man I would still be in the corporate priesthood of the Roman Catholic Church. It's a great place to live a double life. You don't have to publicly marry a woman, you get to live in close and develop intimate relationships with a lot of other men, and you're sitting on a mountain of cash dutifully donated by parishioners who are free with lots of adulation for "Father".

Johnshuster, if, as you allege, you're really an ex-priest, it is surprising that you don't recall that there is no "vow of celibacy" as such associated with the priesthood (religious orders aside); there is an obligation (again, not a vow) of continence.

On the other hand, adultery violates the solemn and public vows of marriage, so by your logic no married person who commits adultery has any right to privacy in the matter. Is that correct?

The weight of what little evidence is available does not support your assertion that the priesthood is "predominantly" gay, moreover.

Finally, the notion of priests deriving personal benefit from "sitting on a mountain of [donated] cash" sounds like a fevered anti-Catholic fantasy, rather than the authentic recollection of someone who claims to have spent time in the priesthood.

As long as the Church considers itself above US Criminal Justice, let it's gay priests who preach anti-gay intolerance and exclusion be outed and hope a few pedophiles get ID'd as well.

Coloradodog, have criminal charges (institutional, not individual) been brought against the Catholic Church in the United States? What makes you think the Church considers itself above criminal justice?

Climacus,

It's common knowledge the Catholic Church knows those priests charged or convicted of child molestation and that the Church helps hide them from prosecution without even defrocking them.

How many have been imprisoned?

How many defrocked?

accessory after the fact - a person who gives assistance or comfort to someone known to be a felon or known to be sought in connection with the commission of a felony

Obstruction of Jutice: A criminal offense that involves interference, through words or actions, with the proper operations of a court or officers of the court.

RACKETEERING ACTIVITY - (A) any act or threat involving …dealing in obscene matter, ……, which is chargeable under State law and punishable by imprisonment for more than one year; any act which is indictable under the following [sections] of 18, U.S.C.: …..1461-1465 (obscene matter), 1503 (obstruction of justice), 1510 (obstruction of criminal investigations), 1511 (obstruction of State or local law enforcement), 1512 (tampering with a witness, victim, or informant), 1513 (retaliating against a witness, victim, or informant), ….. 2251-2252 (sexual exploitation of children), ..|”

In the matter of hiding pedophile clergy, the Church considers itself above the law.

The fact is is that being a Cathlic preist makes it esier to take advantage of young boys and I would reconsider being a Cathlic.