In an unprecedented move, the Vatican has decreed that priest candidates (seminarians) who show signs or tendencies of homosexuality will have to undergo a battery of psychological tests prior to ordination to the priesthood. While psychological testing is not new to the priesthood-most seminaries require some sort of psychological report prior to accepting a candidate for a course of priestly study. However, the public manner in which the Vatican is making this move is somewhat new.
Of course, while many will question the Vatican’s attempt to link homosexuality with the sexual abuse of minors. The Vatican is clearly linking the two and is taking a public step to do something about the abuse scandal.
It’s quite interesting to note the words the Vatican officials are using to describe what they’d be looking for in a dubious candidate. Here are sampling of the terms: “strong affective dependencies; notable lack of freedom in relations; excessive rigidity of character; lack of loyalty; uncertain sexual identity; deep-seated homosexual tendencies, etc.” These are words we’ve seen on numerous occasions when investigating the background of a sexually abusive priests. They often come up in the church’s internal documents and are terms to describe sexually abusive behavior of minors.
It seems to me that if the Church were truly serious about eradicating this sex abuse problem it would develop a program for wayward bishops who transfer and cover up for these sick priests. Therein lies the real problem and the real scandal.