Italian Abbot: There Is a Crisis of Homosexuality in the Priesthood

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ROME (ChurchMilitant.com) - An Italian abbot is confirming that homosexuality is a major crisis in the Catholic priesthood.

The Pope's alleged comment about gays being "born that way," and his recent affirmation that gay men should not enter the seminary, have created a puzzling situation for some. The Italian abbot, who goes by the name Abbot Faria, wrote to Vatican expert Marco Tossati and shared what was said by a young man with same-sex attraction who wanted to be admitted to Catholic priestly formation.

"Today a faithful layman who has homosexual tendencies asked me a question: 'The Pope said that God created me this way, so why, then, can I not enter the seminary and become a priest?" Faria wrote, quoting the layman. "If my orientation is according to God's will, then why could I not serve Him as a priest?'"

The man's question was sparked by Pope Francis' recent alleged remarks to a sex abuse victim saying that God made him gay.

Faria told the man that God does not actually make people gay: "I explained that the fact that God allows some things does not mean that he approves of them. Of course God loves everyone, but this does not mean that he approves of everything."

He also addressed the problem of homosexuals already in the priesthood, writing, "There is a huge problem in the Church, which is perhaps one of the key problems today: very strong homosexualization. Of course, not all homosexual priests are necessarily bad priests, but this condition makes the ministry very difficult."

He continued, "This is why it is right that the Pope told the CEI [Conferenza Episcopale Italiana, the Italian Bishops Conference] not to admit seminarians with homosexual tendencies."

Abbot Faria also disclaimed the myth of pedophilia as the root of the sex abuse crisis, instead saying it's a crisis of homosexual clergy:

In short: Crimes against pre-pubescent minors are horrendous, but the enormous scourge is that of priests (often with homosexual tendencies) who practice ephebophilia. And even if it is true that only a fraction of homosexuals has this tendency, it is also true that many of them (with a tendency towards ephebophilia) have thought the priesthood is a good shelter to better continue their practices undisturbed.

He added, "In short, homosexuality in the clergy is at levels that are beyond alarming."

Abbot Faria commented on the apparent mixed messaging from the Holy Father, calling it "the usual confusion that comes from words [that were] maybe said, maybe not."

Church Militant has been saying for years that the priest sex abuse crisis largely stems from homosexual men entering the priesthood, reporting on studies indicating this in 2015 and again in 2017.

This comes after Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of priest sex abuse, claimed Pope Francis had privately told him that God made him gay. The Pope had met with the former abuse victim one on one while investigating the priest sex abuse crisis in Chile.

Cruz claims the Pope told him, "Look Juan Carlos, the Pope loves you this way. God made you like this and he loves you."

The LGBT community celebrated the alleged comment, and the Vatican offered silence, refusing to comment on whether Cruz's claim was accurate.

Not long after word spread of the alleged comment, the Pope told the bishops of Italy that the Church is justified in barring men with same-sex attraction from trying to enter the priesthood. In a closed-door meeting with Italy's bishops on May 24, Pope Francis said about seminary candidates with same-sex attraction, "If you have even the slightest doubt, it is better not to let them in."

Secular news outlets speculated that the Pope was trying to placate "conservative" factions in the Vatican and the Church at large, who were up in arms about the Pope's alleged comments to Cruz.

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