A Vatican statement prohibiting homosexuals in the priesthood will not bring about any changes in the Lincoln Diocese, the rector of St. Gregory the Great Seminary near Seward said.

“We’ve basically been on the same page as the document” which was released Tuesday, said Father John Folda. “We’ve already pretty much been following that policy.”

The document titled “Instruction for Vocational Discernment with Regard to Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and Holy Orders” says men should not be admitted to seminaries or ordained as priests if they practice homosexuality, have “deeply rooted homosexual tendencies” or “support so-called gay culture.”

Those policies merely restate the long-standing position of the church, Folda said.

He said the seminary, which trains men in their first years of preparation for the priesthood, is careful in selection of students.  

“When a man expresses interest in the seminary, we spend a lot of time trying to get to know him personally,” Folda said. “If we see evidence of deep-seated homosexuality, we know that the life of a priest isn’t what he’s called to.”

The document also states men who have only “transitory” homosexual tendencies could be accepted to seminary, but must remain celibate for three years before being ordained as deacons, the step before ordination as priests.

“Sometimes these questions (about sexual orientation) come and go in a young person’s mind as he’s maturing,” Folda said. “If it appears to be something he has dealt with and set aside, we might consider him for candidacy.”

Lincoln Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz issued a statement “welcoming” the new instruction from the Vatican.

“The document confirms the perennial and traditional teaching of the Catholic Church that those who are afflicted with homosexuality, being an unfortunate and serious disorder, are not suitable candidates for the Sacrament of Holy Orders,” according to the statement written by Monsignor Timothy Thorburn, vicar general of the diocese and approved by the bishop.

No one has a right to ordination, which is “a gift of divine grace, received through the Church,” the statement said. It is not discriminatory to deny that gift to people “who do not possess the appropriate qualities to be a deacon or priest.” The Vatican statement “constitutes the policy that has always been observed, and will continue to be observed in the Diocese of Lincoln.”

The Vatican statement was issued in part to respond to the crisis of sexual abuse by priests. It views anyone with homosexual tendencies as “objectively disordered” but says that “these people must be received with respect and delicacy.”

Many critics of the statement, including some who have identified themselves as celibate gay priests, say it will either cause gay men who feel called to the priesthood to hide their sexuality, or will keep qualified people from entering the priesthood at a time when there is a growing shortage of priests.

Instead of dealing with the real causes of sexual abuse by priests, the document “lays the foundation for a new crisis in the future by subtly blaming gay men,” said Linda Pieczynski  and Paul Scarbrough, national spokespeople for Call to Action, an organization calling for reforms in the Roman Catholic Church.

“There are no credible studies which show that gay men are more likely to molest children than hetrosexual men or that having a homosexual orientation is a psychological disorder,” they said.  “Allowing men to enter the priesthood who have ‘overcome’ their homosexual tendencies is to perpetuate the myth that homosexuality is chosen rather than innate and is an extremely damaging and dangerous requirement.”

Folda said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on what effect the policy will have on the future of the priesthood.

“It gives a certain amount of clarity,” he said. “This has been a subject of some controversy, so this helps to answer some of the questions.”

The Vatican has mandated an inspection of all 229 American seminaries and institutions that prepare priests. St. Gregory the Great was inspected in September. A bishop and two priests visited the seminary and spent a week interviewing staff and students. “My impression was that it went very smoothly,”  Folda said.

The inspections of all U.S. seminaries are scheduled to be completed by next May and a report submitted to the Vatican, he said.  “There may be recommendations or instructions for us (but) I’m not sure when that will happen.”

Reach Bob Reeves at 473-7212 or at breeves@journalstar.com.