Washington, D.C.
A Roman Catholic archbishop said that men with “strong homosexual inclinations” should not be allowed to become priests, even if they are celibate, a Catholic newspaper reported last week. The archbishop, Edwin O’Brien, leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services in Washington and is considered well-connected in Rome, so his statement may indicate that the Vatican plans to bar gays from the priesthood. The Vatican is expected to announce a new policy soon. The church began reviewing the issue last year, after a study found that most victims of sexual abuse by priests were adolescent boys. The crackdown could add to the church’s already severe priest shortage; by some estimates, 25 percent or more of U.S. seminarians are gay.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
