Cosa ha detto a porte chiuse Papa Francesco ai vescovi sui “seminaristi gay”?

Riflessioni di Carlo Di Cicco, vaticanista, pubblicate sul portale Tiscali News il 27 maggio 2018

Quando si dice malizia, una parola che fa rima con furbizia, ci si riferisce per lo più alla sfera sessuale, dove in realtà c’è una gran confusione, dove resistono tabù e storture dure a morire in ambito educativo e anche nelle istituzioni ecclesiastiche.
In fact, to releasing the possible criticism of incorrect sexual behavior between the heterosexuals to which everything is thought to be lawful, attention is reversed on homosexuals, a human reality lived in society always as a mysterious territory, a receptacle for every vice. While for the sexual hetero stands out and the difference between "tendency", sexual orientation and "practice", speaking of homosexuals and "practice", is quietly accepted with great lightness and homosexual practice. If then it is a Pope who makes the distinction, it is convenient to repeat common places creating confusion between orientation and homosexual practice. On homosexuals, the general difficulty in talking about sexuality free from taboos is unloaded, but also from licentiosity in a personal subject that one would like to administer in the reserved penumbra.

"Who am i to judge"

Perhaps the attempt to resize the openings of pope Francis in recognizing equal dignity to homosexual people, every occasion appears good to solicit some rethinking of the pope after his famous slogan: "Who i am to judge"Which had sent a traditional discriminatory practice of homosexual people to Tilt.
The recent assembly of Italian bishops also where one of the topics addressed was the crisis of vocations gave inspiration to the theme of sexuality in the formation of priests. In the dialogue behind closed doors between the pope and the bishops, the question of the formation of seminarians, future priests, starting from their admission in the seminary, had also been addressed. And Francesco had reiterated the current doctrine, inviting prudence to admit young people or homosexual people, not so much as homosexuals but evaluating their practical sexual behavior.

Knowing how to distinguish

Francesco had spoken of "discernment" to which the educators of the seminarians must resort, with the ability to look far, when the seminarians have become priests. Right concern: if in the training period homosexual practice was considered usual, these subjects are to be stopped because they would be sexually active even by priests. A problem not limited to the formative moment but open afterwards with educational foresight: will the future priests be reliable from the management point of view of sexuality? The behavior will be reliable if reliable and serious will have been their sexual formation.

The water dirty inside the seminars

Al presidente della Cei, Gualtiero Bassetti non restava che confermare l’indicazione del papa affermando davanti ai giornalisti: “Il papa ha ragione: nei seminari c’è acqua sporca che va tolta. La fragilità umana c’è per tutti”. E quindi non solo per coloro che non diventeranno preti. La gestione della propria sessualità resterà un impegno anche nella vita adulta. Se è vero che nel passato un vaglio più severo si faceva verso gli omosessuali, in realtà il controllo nei confronti della sessualità in quanto tale era molto rigida verso tutta la materia sessuale. Si mandavano a casa anche quei giovani etero sessuali candidati al sacerdozio che non fossero stati capaci di resistere alla tentazione di peccare sessualmente.
Infatti il voto di castità che i sacerdoti fanno è una scelta che viene alla fine di un percorso formativo in cui si sperimenta a lungo la capacità del candidato a saper controllare gli impulsi sessuali. Se regolarmente ci si ritrova a dover confessare peccati di natura sessuale, significa che non si è capaci di poter fare il prete a cui nella chiesa latina si richiede il voto di castità. Il voto di castità vieta di sposarsi ma anche di praticare qualsiasi tipo di sessualità come ad esempio la masturbazione. Se un giovane constata di masturbarsi regolarmente e frequentemente viene invitato a lasciare il seminario.

Costretti alla castità

The Catholic church has always foreseen such a trial since the obligation of celibacy for priests is invalted. but It is well known that the vote of chastity is not easy to respect by homosexuals but Equally from that considerable number of ecclesiastics who, mostly in a clandestine form, live loves for a woman with all the consequences of being lovers.
Maybe the faithful discover it but as long as the relationship is consensual and take care of any children, you are led to close a eye, even if almost always the infidelity to the vote of chastity is seen as a lack of the priest. In sexual matter, the ecclesiastical institution is very severe and the career of unbeliever infideli priests has no outlets.

Disproportionate sexual practices

What did Francesco said again or shocking in this regard compared to that opening that seemed to have had towards homosexuals? Nothing. Not even a word towards homosexual people as such. It could be said that his was a speech on the sexual education plan of young seminarians in general. And in the educational field. The education of sexuality is seen as particularly important for the success of adult life and therefore in need of punctual discernment.
It is the disproportionate tendencies towards sexual practices and not sexual orientation that is a problem. And therefore the utmost care in admitting young people is asked since these exaggerated trends in the search for pleasure, when they are "deeply rooted", are realized in the practice of sex and therefore also of "homosexual acts". The easy use of sex can seriously compromise the life of the seminary as well as that of the same boy and his future possible priesthood. When you are unable to a sexual self control, you can easily create scandal conditions.

The question of infidelity

Not that a priest accustomed to sexual intercourse with women gives greater guarantees of a gay who practices sexuality. Both are responsible for infidelity to vote. But Francesco's concern expresses only the hope that the formation is seriously done because the rules already exist. The Pope's note to the Bishops of the CEI must be traced back, for example, to the ratio Fundamentalis published in December 2016 by the Congregation for the Clergy: a full -bodied document, entitled "The gift of the presbyteral vocation", With which the dicastery has updated rules, uses and costumes for access to the seminary, providing practical suggestions also on health, nutrition, motor activity and rest. And of course sex education.

Impossible to admit them

In relation to people with homosexual tendencies that approach the seminars, or who discover this situation during the formation, in line with their own magisterium, - it is affirmed in a paragraph of the document - the Church, while deeply respecting the people in question, cannot admit to the seminar and the sacred orders those who practice homosexuality, present deeply rooted homosexual tendencies or sustain the so -called gay culture ". The text speaks for itself: gays are not excluded as such, but only those who practice sexuality in a immoderate and inappropriate way, that is, that they are unable to live in continence.

Homosex acts and trends

Even the rationale of 2016, which in fact reiterates what was established by the previous instruction and the distinction between "homosexual acts" and "homosexual tendencies": on the former the Church reaffirmed the definition of "serious sins", "intrinsically immoral and contrary to natural law"; While asked for those who manifest trends, however defined as "objectively disordered", a welcome characterized by "respect and delicacy", avoiding "every brand of unjust discrimination". "If a candidate practices homosexuality or presents deeply rooted homosexual tendencies, his spiritual director as his confessor have a duty to dissuade him, in conscience, from proceeding towards ordination".

Responsibility remains personal

"It is understood that the candidate himself is the first responsible for his own formation ", reads the Vatican text. It would therefore be "seriously dishonest that a candidate hidden his homosexuality to access, despite everything to the ordination. Such an inauthentic attitude does not correspond to the spirit of truth, of loyalty, and of availability that must characterize the personality of the one who believes he is called to serve Christ".
Finally, it should not be forgotten another risk indicated by Pope Francis in the aforementioned speech to The congregation for the clergy, namely that "there Are often guys who are psychically ill and seek strong structures that defend them". But this does not only apply to homosexual people.