Hmm.
From that article:
Bishop Stefano Manetti of Fiesole, Italy, president of the bishops' commission for the clergy and consecrated life, has subsequently sought to nip those interpretations in the bud by clarifying in Avvenire, the Italian Bishops Conference' newspaper, that 'this is not a correct reading' of the text titled 'The Formation of Priests in Italian Churches: Guidelines and Rules for Seminaries' and posted Jan. 9 on the website of the Dicastery for the Clergy.
Here's what apparently happened. On January 10 on X, a gay-affirming Jesuit named Father James Martin posted his own translation of a document approved by Italian Bishops and the Vatican, then said the "only" interpretation in his mind was that the Vatican was taking a step toward letting gay men serve as priests.
My reading of this--and it is only my reading--is that if a gay man is able to lead a healthy chaste and celibate life, he may be considered for admission to the seminary.
This was then parroted across social media and picked up by The New York Times and other outlets, such as The Christian Post.
Bishop Manetti wrote in the Italian Bishops Conference' newspaper that the approved document in question "reiterates, word for word" earlier statements prohibiting gay men from serving.
Both documents establish that persons with 'deep-seated' homosexual tendencies cannot be admitted to seminaries.
...
'Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women.'
[The newspaper] points out that what is new in the document is in the 'discernment' of candidates, especially in the first three years of formation.
Here was Father James Martin's translation that Catholic authorities say was in error:
My translation: 'In the training process, when reference is made to homosexual tendencies, it is also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate, to grasp its meaning in the overall picture of the young person's personality, so that, by getting to know each other and integrating the objectives inherent to the human and presbyteral vocation, reaches a general harmony.'
And here was the translation of the document provided by The Christian Post:
'In the training process, when one does reference homosexual tendencies, it is also appropriate not to reduce discernment only to this aspect, but, as for every candidate to grasp its meaning of the global framework of the young person's personality, so that, knowing himself and integrating the objectives of his human and priestly vocation, he reaches a general harmony,' the document stated.
The guidelines stress that all candidates to the priesthood have an obligation to 'welcome chastity as a gift, to freely choose it and live it responsibly in celibacy.'
Pope Francis, meanwhile, seems to have remained unmoved on this issue. In a message to the Italian Episcopal Conference, he said: "If a young man wants to enter the seminary and has a homosexual tendency: stop him."
Francis was actually (surprisingly) staunch on the matter last year:
But this isn't stopping the rank and file, which seems to be plunging headlong into gay affirmation with no consequences:
So what is the truth? Is the Catholic Church opening the door to gay priests?
I'm still not sure, but when in doubt, the advice of Pope Paul VI seems solid:
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