In an article entitled "Locals hail Pope's comments," published in the July 30th edition of the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise, Ray Delisle, spokesman for the Worcester Diocese, referring to Pope Francis' comments recently on "gay priests," is quoted as having said that his comments didn't break new ground and that, "..there is nothing new there."
Mr. Delisle is being dishonest. I addressed this fact in my last post: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2013/07/pope-francis-quo-vadis.html
Pope Francis' comments run contrary to the established teaching of the Church. The 1961 Vatican Instruction on Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders stated that, "Advancement to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers."
And not just for them. The fact remains that most of the abuse cases within the Church have been homosexual in nature. Even conservative studies such as the John Jay Study put the figure around 82 percent.
According to Catholic doctrine (which Mr. Delisle probably could care less about), any disorderly tendency, and above all to a vice which is contrary to nature, cannot have a right of citizenship in a person's thoughts. If someone in his mind makes a concession to such a tendency, he sins. Therefore, it is not only homosexual acts which are sinful. A person also sins when his external conduct is allowed to express a homosexual tendency. See for example, Deuteronomy 22: 5 and Isaiah 3: 4-13).
Increasingly, the Church is being feminized and effeminized. This is a great tragedy because, as Dr. Leon Podles explains, "Since men continue to want to be masculine, they will continue (unless there are major changes in the Church) to put a greater or lesser distance between themselves and the Church....Feminism and homosexual propaganda dominate the liberal churches, and both drive men even further away. Apart from some groups of evangelical Protestants, whose commitment to Scripture has made them aware of the lack of men and led them to use tactics which have had at least initial effectiveness, all other varieties of Western Christianity are totally bent on expanding the role of women in the Church and choose to ignore the absence of the male laity....Catholic and mainline Protestant churches that cultivate a gay atmosphere...will keep heterosexual men away. Fear of effeminacy is one of the strongest motivations in men who will sometimes die rather than appear effeminate....Christianity has within it the resources that allow it to appeal to men, to show that not only will Christianity not undermine their masculinity, but it will also fulfill and perfect it."
But the Church continues capitulate to the Cult of Softness. And we wonder why vocations are drying up. I cannot even apply for the priesthood in Worcester. But the Diocese has ordained men who acted out homosexually or who committed acts of satanic pedophilia.
Rather than trying to cater to the homosexual elements within the Church, our Holy Father should be working to restore sound Catholic doctrine and pastoral practice.
Do we have to be a Church which caters to disorderly tendencies and a criminal subculture?