I don't agree that celibacy of the priesthood is why homosexuality is predominant. The history of the catholic priesthood abundantly shows that the sacrifice of wife and family for the love of Jesus Christ is meaningful and draws much Grace from God and is fruitful!!!!!!!l
Who is saying that celibacy should not be an option? When raising kids, do you get better results when you force them to do something? Nowhere in this or any article am I or anyone arguing that celibacy should not be an option. But remember that at any given moment in time, for example right now, no more than half of all priests are practicing celibacy, and only around 2% of priests can say that they NEVER violated their promise of celibacy throughout their entire lives. Any good, holy, experienced straight priest will verify that privately. This may be one reason that Jews have always looked upon celibacy as unnatural and almost impossible for most human beings to practice OUTSIDE OF COMMUNITY. Don't forget that diocesan priests DO NOT - like Jesus and his apostles - and like order priests - live in community with other priests. Most diocesan priests today LIVE ALONE. Might this be why Jesus sent forth his apostles, "two by two" while you and some other lay Catholics seem to think they can function spiritually and psychologically "one by one." Think about why you want to support a ministerial paradigm that is not grounded in the Scriptures and the life of Jesus Christ.
I agree priests should not be alone. The whole functioning of the church right now is disordered. I needs to be corrected. Once corrected celibacy that is mandated would work. A married priesthood would not work. Ask protestants. Just money wise it would not work. The churches around me are losing money and next door to closing. What really has destroyed the institutional church is modernism that leads to atheism,thats what the problem is and thats whats destroying the church.
Dianne, You wrote, “A married priesthood would not work. Ask Protestants.” How about asking an Eastern Rite married Catholic priest? Interestingly, they point out that they don’t have an abuse or a gay problem amongst their celibate clergy who choose celibacy freely, even though they have the option to marry. I think every lay Catholic that insists upon mandated.versus optional celibacy should be required to accept an arranged marriage and not be allowed to choose freely who he or she would like to marry. Sound fair???
Well when a young man wishes to become a priest ,He Marries the church.He agree's to be a alterChristus to his people. I still say the real problem is spiritual. I found out the priest in my area have a low prayer life ,they don't go to confession that much.Thats shocking for a consecrated individual. They stopped teaching spiritual theology in the seminary years ago. We have a major spiritual problem because the vat2 apostacy is infested like poison throughout the church.To be a priest You must love Jesus above all else and have a good prayer like and a good program to attain sanctity with God's grace.
But you can love Jesus above all else, have a good prayer life, and still be a married priest. I worked with a Presbyterian Chaplain who grew up Catholic, went to a Catholic seminary, left because he felt he could not lead a celibate life, met his wife in college who was Presbyterian, but still feeling called by Christ, he became a Presbyterian minister. He was a better chaplain than most of the Catholic chaplains who worked for me in the Marine Corps throughout the world. His wife was also very inspiring. Today there are less than 40 Catholic chaplains serving in the entire Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, and most of them are homosexuals. If Tim would have been allowed to marry, I think he would have married his wife who would have converted to Catholicism instead of him converting to the Presbyterian Church. To those who oppose optional celibacy, I say, “Good luck with your not so often ‘celibate’ gay priest.”
Yes ,but he ended up in a false religion. In the whole history of the church celibacy was the norm and we didn't have a homosexual problem. homosexuality is a spiritual disease. It is perverted and from the devil.Our culture has been owned by the devil for 60yrs. This problem is bigger than optional celibacy. The world now is under complete satanic attack. There are no quick fixes. False religions also aren't the answer.
Anyone advocating meeting the standard by lowering standards is almost certainly an modernist and probably exposing and attempting to justify his own shortcomings.
Agree 100%. Being a married heterosexual priest no more guarantees chastity than a homosexual’s vow of celibacy assures sexual continence. Abusers and degenerates can and do infest both camps. Still, I believe the discussion needs to be had in the Church.
You are not researching, you are drawing false conclusions. Protestant churches are not closing due to money or the cost of supporting families. They close when they leave the truth of the gospel for false teachings. The mainline church has become progressive and that is why they close. People want truth. There are plenty of non denominational mega churches churches with married Pastors and families who are doing quite well.
I can not say the same for our Catholic Church. 3 priests:1 Central American, 1 African and 1 local. 11 masses a week. Age of congregation is mostly old. Diocesean financial demands take up much of the donations and maintaining the church is difficult. Do you not see collaborative that have caused church closings due to priest shortages and lower attendance changing everything? The current model is unsustainable and you are not dealing in reality. Married priests could save the church. We already have plenty of married deacons serving, elevating them alone would work wonders to help the church.
Worried about finances? What happened to faith that God will provide?
The biggest problem is see is homosexuality in the clergy. What you allow, you become. Wake up sleepers!
I would NEVER send my son to a seminary. Too risky. Men living this life are tempted into unnatural, disordered relationships. The flesh is weak.
Read Genesis. Man was not created to be alone which is why God created woman. He is not whole without woman. The church is going against God's plan for humanity! Peter, the rock of the church was married. Are you saying Jesus was wrong to choose a married man to build His church upon?
Matthew 19:12 For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it.
We came into this world through the community of a husband and wife. It imperative to continue to live in a community consistent with order established at creation. This is the natural order of life. A priest live alone in some cases due to organizational exigencies, not by conviction. With this practice, it become difficult for them to live together. Each is king in homself. You havre lived this Fr. Gene.
By faith in a community lead by the Spirit one has the power to fight the perennial battle against the lust of the flesh. It has been done. It is by personal commitment out of devotion to one’s vocation, not by compulsion.
Sounds good, but again, it doesn't always work for 98%!!!!! of priests. Now that most bishops and priests are homosexuals, celibacy is practiced even less. Long gone are the days when the parish priest was heterosexual who enjoyed the companionship of a parochial vicar, and the company and emotional support of a live-in housekeeper. No writer to my knowledge has ever called attention to the real reason why Pope Francis, a Jesuit, moved from the Papal Palace to live with the priests in the Casa Santa Marta, or why Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian, invited other priests to live with him in the Papal Palace. Insofar as Jesus lived in the company of the apostles and sent them out “two by two” (Luke 9:1-2), it makes sense that Francis and Leo would not want to live alone. Again, Catholics who project their chastity and marital fidelity onto their clergy need to come to grips with the fact that, at any given moment in time, no more than half of all priests are practicing celibacy. When Cardinal Jose Sanchez, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons, was asked about the high celibacy failure rate, he said, “I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of those figures." As the number and percentage of straight priests continue to decline, the difference between straight and gay partnering rates - a median of 10 for straight men and 67 for gay men - will result in even higher clerical celibacy failure rates.
I still don't understand you. Let us assume you're correct that 98% of Priests are not celibate and most of them are also homosexual (we seriously don't need the gory details - we understand what this means in practice). That's all going to be solved - or just alleviated? - by allowing Priests to marry? Which sex should they marry - women? All those homo Priests should marry women? Or just the small percentage left of heterosexual Priests? So the homo predator Priests will remain to do what they do best?
Why do you never give links to original sources and documents when they are requested?
No, the whole lot need to be expunged from the Church even if that means there are only 2% of Priests left. God might then take our attempts to clean out His Church seriously and act. We, the laity, cannot do this ourselves due to corruption etc.. in high places, but if we at least willed it, rather than suggesting even indirectly, that Christ's grace isn't sufficient for chastity and celibacy, it would be a good start.
Perhaps if we all follow your lead and attend a Lutheran Church, that would fix the problem? Then we'll have no more need for Catholic 'Priests' of any inclination. Simples!
The number of homosexual bishops and priests increased in the 12th century when celibacy was required for diocesan priests, thus allowing gays to live closeted lives on the nickel of Catholics. The Eastern Rite Church does not have, nor ever did have a problem with gay clergy or the sexual abuse of teenagers like in the Roman Catholic Church except for around 100 years in the US when Rome forbade them to exercise a married ministry. If celibacy were made optional for RC clergy, it would not only have more meaning by being freely chosen, but it would also result in the ordination of fewer homosexuals who could no longer live in the closet. Anyone who has kids knows that forcing them to do something is not smart. Likewise, infidelity rates among clergy are also consequences of forced celibacy that does not exist in the Eastern Rite Churches. Remember too that mandatory celibacy was introduced at a time also when most marriages were arranged. So, if we're going to be fair, and if diocesan RC priests are forced to accept celibacy if they want to be ordained (unlike Eastern Rite Catholic priests who are not forced), then I think RC Catholic lay men and women should not have a choice whom they marry, it should be decided by their parents or maybe even the priest.. Sound fair?
No other Church has a clerical sexual abuse problem the size of Catholic Church’s. But then no other Church insists that its Priests remain celibate.
A Priesthood which allowed married men to become Priests would attract many such men. As a consequence of this fact alone there would be fewer homosexual Priests in the Catholic Church. Perhaps this is a reason why so many senior clergy are opposed to the idea of married Priests.
Interesting how I have befriended former Episcopalian married Catholic priests, while most homosexually oriented priests avoid them. I think the homosexual priests may fear that the married priest's wife might pick up on their gayness.
Before we continue discussing celibacy and homosexuality,
is there a study on the biological and psychological
effects of celibacy. Does it impair the normal functions of all life systems of his body? If it does, what are these impairments, that married priests is the solution.
Going back thousands of years, the Jews viewed celibacy as an impossible commitment for most human beings. The 98% clerical celibacy failure rate seems to support that assessment. I am not familiar with any "biological" studies on celibacy. Psychologically speaking, celibacy is much easier for people who are asexual. A 2012 psychological study of “actively ministering or retired priests” in the U.S. revealed that only 26.9% of the priests identified themselves as heterosexuals; 67.3% self-identified as gay/homosexual; and 5.8% reported that they were bisexual. This study, viewed in relation to previous studies, shows how the percentage of gay clergy has risen considerably over the past decades.
I understand that it is not the natural condition of human being to be celibate generally.
To be celibate presupposed one has been given the grace to live as such.
The framing of the question of the problem in the Church with regards to sexuality is confused. The issue of homosexuality or heterosexuality digress from the root problem, which is celibacy. I am not saying that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not an issue. Ultimately the main issue is celibacy. So the discussion is so muddled. It is hard to find a practical
solution. From the point of view of homosexuality or heterosexuality does not help. Otherwise should already a workable solution this is seen from the point of view of celibacy. Celebacy will address problem whether the concern is homosexuality or heterosexuality.
I absolutely agree with you! Celibacy is an incredible calling. It’s a shame that there are so many priests who are not celibate. I sometimes wonder if the church should shrink, but maybe it’s all about money.
This makes me so depressed. If one is homosexual, one should not be ordained. It is too late now; the whole system is corrupted. The Vatican is just one big gay bar and den of sodomy.
Have faith in that God never leaves us orphans. Ultimately God is in charge, but we are called to do is Will and bear witness and give testimony. We mu pray for the good and persecuted religious.
My apologies to you for what you suffered. Whatever you personally witnessed or knew, I would urge you to contact Gene and provide him with the facts. The more that can be publish showing the truth of this matter, the better for all.
I have just one comment to make on this excellent article, and I am afraid it is a negative one: Marriage has never made a priest less likely to commit abuse. His victims are female, and there have been fewer cases of heterosexual priests abusing than gay priests. But marriage makes any priest less able to commit his time to his parishioners because the needs of wife and family take precedence.
Based on personal experience and experience in working with countless priests and clergy from over 60 denominations, I cannot agree with your thesis. Can a parent love one child more than ten children? I know many, many married clergy who are far more available and dedicated than so-called "celibate" priests, half of whom at any given moment in time are not living celibate lives. I don't think you have a clue about the real lives of most priests and bishops. A woman told me how dedicated her "celibate priest" was. I was tempted to reveal that he got his girlfriend pregnant twice, and the diocese is paying child support while he remains the pastor of a large parish. Another Catholic observed, "Isn't it nice that Fathers 'Bill and Bob' are going on vacation together." What that Catholic didn't know was that the priests were gay lovers who were going to Mykonos to engage in group sex with other gays. Catholics don't know how some Hispanics, like Thomas Munoz, were paid $300 to give a bishop oral sex, the same bishop who years earlier sexually abused another Hispanic enrolled in a seminary in St. Louis. With regard to your comment, "Marriage has never made a priest less likely to commit abuse," how is it that the married Ukrainian clergy in Canada did not have the sex abuse problems that the so-called celibate Ukrainians had in the U.S.? I know this because I work with Ukrainian victims of sex abuse in the U.S. who are suing Eparchies. Now that Eastern Rite clergy are allowed to marry in the U.S. as of 2014, their abuse rates are going down.
I went on a retreat and the retreat master shared with my archbishop how upset I was that he was covering up countless sex abuse cases that then moved the archbishop to unjustly revoke my ecclesiastical endorsement to serve as a chaplain. Both were supposedly "celibate" priests who did not have spouses. I can provide a number of similar cases of "pillow talk" among celibate bishops and priests.
The Lavender-Yoked Lament: From Vatican Veils to Sharm's Shadows
Gomulka's gut-punch gospel—80%+ gay clergy cloaking the cross in closeted chains, bishops bedding brotherhood for the mitre's mask, seminaries seeded with the snare of safe-environment stalkers—mirrors the Middle East's meddle like a man-made mockery of the Master's mercy. Both breed the "abomination in the holy place" (Mark 13:14), where the sacred yields to the profane under guises of "grace" and "generosity." The Lavender Mafia's "modus operandi"? Associations as giveaway—secretaries shadowing sin, vocations veiled in vice, cover-ups cloaking the carnal, all for the coin-chase that crucified the call (Matt 23:27: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness."). Fast-forward to Sharm el-Sheikh's "peace" puff: Trump's 20-point tease (hostages home, 2K freed, aid unclogged) whitewashes the wicked with "radical transformation" rhetoric, but Pappé pins the peril—Netanyahu's "messianic" march to "Greater Israel," ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, genocide in Gaza, a "downsize" of the divine image to dust (Gen 1:27), the summit a "whitewash" for the war-criminal's walk while sanitation plants scorch in spite.
The yoke? Compromise's cruel cousin—Vatican's "dialogue" door (Nostra Aetate's "esteem" for false faiths) unrolling rugs in the library, unholy unions yielding to unholy unrest, just as Sharm's sands summon the savages sans the scourge (Deut 20:16-18: "You shall save alive nothing that breathes... that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices"). Both birth the burr: Lavender's leaven lures the laity to "inclusion" that ignores the impure (Lev 18:22), the "peace" plan partitions the promise for the profane, ignoring the Islamist ink that inks Israel as idol to shatter (Ps 83:4). The result? Deception's dirge—priests peddling perversion for power's purse, "peacemakers" paving peril for the pit, both daubing the wound lightly with "Peace, peace" (Jer 6:14), the house divided dancing on dynamite (Mark 3:25).
O watchmen, behold the blaze: The yoked yoke yields ruin, the lavender lament laced with the land's loss—purge the profane, proclaim the pure, for the Father's fidelity forbids the fellowship of fools (2 Cor 6:17: "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you"). Glory to the Yoke-Breaker who breaks the burr!
Not to mention the fact that he subscribes to a religion that isn’t even Roman Catholicism. When Our Lord chastises the homo hive den of these apostates who infested the institutional and physical structures of the Church, please don’t pretend he gave the Sodom and Gomorrah treatment to actual Catholics because the Novus Ordo religion is no such thing.
Just yesterday, Leo publicly praised Don Lorenzo Milani, a subversive “red” priest who founded an ecumenical school, who is known to have been a boy-love aficionado who had sex with his boy students. Francis also had praised him, and even made a pilgrimage to his grave. Clearly, they think what he was doing to those boys is okay. https://substack.com/@augustatheobserver/note/c-166514860?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2v2bhv
"...many of those who are present at ordinations to the priesthood and episcopacy often share the ordinand’s sexual orientation..."
It might throw light on the last diaconal ordination I attended, which was in 2006. I had not seen such a celebration inside a Catholic church for years. I was one of the choir from another parish who was drafted in to assist that parish's choir with the music for this rejoicing.
We did not have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or the London Symphony Orchestra. But the scale of the service made me blink. Hold on, Reverend Gents (there were loads of them from all over the diocese). He does not get made priest for another 12 months.
12 months on and the priestly ordination was held at my parish. I have never seen such preparations for any service, not even for Christmas or Easter. Our choir leader prepared detailed written performance notes for each musical piece. Yes, the opening hymn was "All are welcome". And yes, the ordinand was as bent as a straight banana.
Seeing the national ordination statistics much later, I could in one way understand the unbridled joy. The statistics in the period 2000 to 2009 slid from disastrous to catastrophic. In 2009, 15 priests were ordained for 22 dioceses in England and Wales. 14 of these 22 dioceses had zero ordinations. The clerical happiness might just have been a measure of their total background desperation.
But....were all these Reverend Gents really acclaiming the arrival of another of their brethren??
As always, thank you for sharing your insights and experiences, Gene. The article flows well and it’s coherent. The correlations you highlight from Sullins’ research are serious and factual, and align with patterns in abuse reports. However, many experts argue that abuse is more about power dynamics than orientation alone, and broad generalizations risk unfair judgments and overstate the crisis in the Church, bad as it is. Martel’s book might be a valuable read for its interviews, but many reviewers note its anecdotal—non-scholarly—nature. Perhaps focusing on improved screening and accountability could address these issues without division. What reforms do you propose beyond awareness?
Agree. The Church is not a democracy. I am older and my attitude now is that I am grateful for any priests so I can receive the Sacraments, I contribute what I consider is my fair share for utilities of the physical church buildings, do not give a cent to diocesan whatevers, and pray for Divine intercession. I admire these forums but so far don’t hear solutions.
How can the method of selecting bishops -- homos recommending other homos for the job -- be changed? Until somehow the promotion process is altered, all will remain in the same condition as now. I don't have much hope.
A simple and profound question. As we know like attracts like. I believe first we have to cut off the money. These are worldly men stuck and tied deeply to this world. Cut off the funds that let them live well. Second demand faithful bishops and make them answer simple questions, such as were did all the money go; and how many private investments dose your eminence have off the diocesan books? How come you never mention the fallen angels? Is it because you fear offending your bosses?
40% of minor abuse in secular society has historically been by men against boys. Active homosexuals were presumed by law enforcement to be less bounded by social custom and moral propriety. If 80% of minor abuse in the Catholic Church is of the same type, one may argue that the rate of acting homosexuality is twice as high than secular society. That would make it 10% to 20% of the clergy. That is 10% to 20% are acting out and networking as such. Whatever percentage of the rest might be same-sex attracted and to what degree is a seperate matter; but perhaps they comprise a dark nimbus around the darkest core of the current immoral and criminal clerical abusers. The trouble is that there are few bishops who summon their clergy to a high standard of a chaste vocation in as much as so many of the prelates are living low.
In response to your comment, let me say that many prelates are not setting "a high standard of chaste vocation." I can identify several U.S. prelates who are guilty of engaging in sexual predation and homosexual misconduct (See: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/bishops/global-list-of-accused-bishops/) or covering up abuse (See: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/databases/DallasMorningNewsBishops.htm). These lists leave out many bishops because the mainstream media looks upon clerical homosexual misconduct as consensual, even if it involves the abuse of a seminarian who is essentially a vulnerable adult. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGU4EwL47U The actual percentage of documented predator priests in the U.S. is 23-25%, and 82-84% of the victims are males, mainly teenage boys. The US bishops GROSSLY underreported abuse within their dioceses to the John Jay Study. For example, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien reported two abuse victims when, in fact, there were over 500. The US bishops, over 85% of whom are closeted homosexuals, have been covering up for decades: 1) The percentage of homosexual bishops, priests, and seminarians in the U.S.; 2) The number of victims of clerical sexual predation; and 3) The amount of money it has cost the Catholic Church in the US for court settlements and legal fees. The USCCB reported $5 billion, when in fact it's closer to $20 billion. Two out of 198 dioceses (Los Angeles and San Diego) alone have spent $2.3 billion. As bishops lie, and lie, and lie, many Catholic media outlets (e.g., EWTN, NCR, CNS, CNA, Crux, etc.) promote their lies. Many bishops and Catholic editors hate me because I call them out for their lies and fake news.
I am so, so sad. After 50 years living as a lapsed Catholic, I recently returned to the church. I lost my faith and dealt with significant trauma when my ex-husband "came out" as a homosexual when I was 22 years old, and pregnant with our 2nd child. How am I supposed to deal with this deception?
Find support from another good Catholic or Christian. If you don't know anyone, maybe I can identify someone in your area, as I get calls from survivors from all over the US. genegomulka@gmail.com
I can personally say that I have known at least two cardinals, four bishops, and 34 priests who were/are homosexuals. I was sexually abused by two different priests. It is true what Gene says. Because I was not only conservative, but also straight, I was expelled from the major seminary just six months before being ordained. So, yes, the post-Vatican II antichurch is rife and filled with these sick predators.
Re: Marcel’s book conclusion that priests being forbidden to marry has exacerbated gay clergy — this was not nearly a problem until VII. Also, traditional priests still do not have this affliction, at least no where near these numbers. It is all in the seminaries.
I don't agree that celibacy of the priesthood is why homosexuality is predominant. The history of the catholic priesthood abundantly shows that the sacrifice of wife and family for the love of Jesus Christ is meaningful and draws much Grace from God and is fruitful!!!!!!!l
Who is saying that celibacy should not be an option? When raising kids, do you get better results when you force them to do something? Nowhere in this or any article am I or anyone arguing that celibacy should not be an option. But remember that at any given moment in time, for example right now, no more than half of all priests are practicing celibacy, and only around 2% of priests can say that they NEVER violated their promise of celibacy throughout their entire lives. Any good, holy, experienced straight priest will verify that privately. This may be one reason that Jews have always looked upon celibacy as unnatural and almost impossible for most human beings to practice OUTSIDE OF COMMUNITY. Don't forget that diocesan priests DO NOT - like Jesus and his apostles - and like order priests - live in community with other priests. Most diocesan priests today LIVE ALONE. Might this be why Jesus sent forth his apostles, "two by two" while you and some other lay Catholics seem to think they can function spiritually and psychologically "one by one." Think about why you want to support a ministerial paradigm that is not grounded in the Scriptures and the life of Jesus Christ.
I agree priests should not be alone. The whole functioning of the church right now is disordered. I needs to be corrected. Once corrected celibacy that is mandated would work. A married priesthood would not work. Ask protestants. Just money wise it would not work. The churches around me are losing money and next door to closing. What really has destroyed the institutional church is modernism that leads to atheism,thats what the problem is and thats whats destroying the church.
Dianne, You wrote, “A married priesthood would not work. Ask Protestants.” How about asking an Eastern Rite married Catholic priest? Interestingly, they point out that they don’t have an abuse or a gay problem amongst their celibate clergy who choose celibacy freely, even though they have the option to marry. I think every lay Catholic that insists upon mandated.versus optional celibacy should be required to accept an arranged marriage and not be allowed to choose freely who he or she would like to marry. Sound fair???
Well when a young man wishes to become a priest ,He Marries the church.He agree's to be a alterChristus to his people. I still say the real problem is spiritual. I found out the priest in my area have a low prayer life ,they don't go to confession that much.Thats shocking for a consecrated individual. They stopped teaching spiritual theology in the seminary years ago. We have a major spiritual problem because the vat2 apostacy is infested like poison throughout the church.To be a priest You must love Jesus above all else and have a good prayer like and a good program to attain sanctity with God's grace.
But you can love Jesus above all else, have a good prayer life, and still be a married priest. I worked with a Presbyterian Chaplain who grew up Catholic, went to a Catholic seminary, left because he felt he could not lead a celibate life, met his wife in college who was Presbyterian, but still feeling called by Christ, he became a Presbyterian minister. He was a better chaplain than most of the Catholic chaplains who worked for me in the Marine Corps throughout the world. His wife was also very inspiring. Today there are less than 40 Catholic chaplains serving in the entire Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, and most of them are homosexuals. If Tim would have been allowed to marry, I think he would have married his wife who would have converted to Catholicism instead of him converting to the Presbyterian Church. To those who oppose optional celibacy, I say, “Good luck with your not so often ‘celibate’ gay priest.”
Yes ,but he ended up in a false religion. In the whole history of the church celibacy was the norm and we didn't have a homosexual problem. homosexuality is a spiritual disease. It is perverted and from the devil.Our culture has been owned by the devil for 60yrs. This problem is bigger than optional celibacy. The world now is under complete satanic attack. There are no quick fixes. False religions also aren't the answer.
Anyone advocating meeting the standard by lowering standards is almost certainly an modernist and probably exposing and attempting to justify his own shortcomings.
No being married you put your wife and children first. Your eyes re not primarily on the Lord!
Agree 100%. Being a married heterosexual priest no more guarantees chastity than a homosexual’s vow of celibacy assures sexual continence. Abusers and degenerates can and do infest both camps. Still, I believe the discussion needs to be had in the Church.
It does not guarantee it but the temptation is a LOT smaller.
Seems to me that the lavender boys are not interested in celibacy whatsoever. Predators go where the prey is. Simple as
You are not researching, you are drawing false conclusions. Protestant churches are not closing due to money or the cost of supporting families. They close when they leave the truth of the gospel for false teachings. The mainline church has become progressive and that is why they close. People want truth. There are plenty of non denominational mega churches churches with married Pastors and families who are doing quite well.
I can not say the same for our Catholic Church. 3 priests:1 Central American, 1 African and 1 local. 11 masses a week. Age of congregation is mostly old. Diocesean financial demands take up much of the donations and maintaining the church is difficult. Do you not see collaborative that have caused church closings due to priest shortages and lower attendance changing everything? The current model is unsustainable and you are not dealing in reality. Married priests could save the church. We already have plenty of married deacons serving, elevating them alone would work wonders to help the church.
Worried about finances? What happened to faith that God will provide?
The biggest problem is see is homosexuality in the clergy. What you allow, you become. Wake up sleepers!
I would NEVER send my son to a seminary. Too risky. Men living this life are tempted into unnatural, disordered relationships. The flesh is weak.
Read Genesis. Man was not created to be alone which is why God created woman. He is not whole without woman. The church is going against God's plan for humanity! Peter, the rock of the church was married. Are you saying Jesus was wrong to choose a married man to build His church upon?
Matthew 19:12 For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can take, let him take it.
I do not believe this refers to homosexuals. That is a gay excuse.
Celibacy is sacred. Catholics have forgotten Sacrifice.
How have you engaged in celibate love with the priests who have ministered to you and your family? See: https://johneighteenthirtyseven.substack.com/p/home-alone-in-the-priesthood
Another good reason why Archbishop Lefebre was right. Priests should live in communities not on their own falling prey to loneliness and alcohol
We came into this world through the community of a husband and wife. It imperative to continue to live in a community consistent with order established at creation. This is the natural order of life. A priest live alone in some cases due to organizational exigencies, not by conviction. With this practice, it become difficult for them to live together. Each is king in homself. You havre lived this Fr. Gene.
By faith in a community lead by the Spirit one has the power to fight the perennial battle against the lust of the flesh. It has been done. It is by personal commitment out of devotion to one’s vocation, not by compulsion.
Sounds good, but again, it doesn't always work for 98%!!!!! of priests. Now that most bishops and priests are homosexuals, celibacy is practiced even less. Long gone are the days when the parish priest was heterosexual who enjoyed the companionship of a parochial vicar, and the company and emotional support of a live-in housekeeper. No writer to my knowledge has ever called attention to the real reason why Pope Francis, a Jesuit, moved from the Papal Palace to live with the priests in the Casa Santa Marta, or why Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian, invited other priests to live with him in the Papal Palace. Insofar as Jesus lived in the company of the apostles and sent them out “two by two” (Luke 9:1-2), it makes sense that Francis and Leo would not want to live alone. Again, Catholics who project their chastity and marital fidelity onto their clergy need to come to grips with the fact that, at any given moment in time, no more than half of all priests are practicing celibacy. When Cardinal Jose Sanchez, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons, was asked about the high celibacy failure rate, he said, “I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of those figures." As the number and percentage of straight priests continue to decline, the difference between straight and gay partnering rates - a median of 10 for straight men and 67 for gay men - will result in even higher clerical celibacy failure rates.
I still don't understand you. Let us assume you're correct that 98% of Priests are not celibate and most of them are also homosexual (we seriously don't need the gory details - we understand what this means in practice). That's all going to be solved - or just alleviated? - by allowing Priests to marry? Which sex should they marry - women? All those homo Priests should marry women? Or just the small percentage left of heterosexual Priests? So the homo predator Priests will remain to do what they do best?
Why do you never give links to original sources and documents when they are requested?
No, the whole lot need to be expunged from the Church even if that means there are only 2% of Priests left. God might then take our attempts to clean out His Church seriously and act. We, the laity, cannot do this ourselves due to corruption etc.. in high places, but if we at least willed it, rather than suggesting even indirectly, that Christ's grace isn't sufficient for chastity and celibacy, it would be a good start.
Perhaps if we all follow your lead and attend a Lutheran Church, that would fix the problem? Then we'll have no more need for Catholic 'Priests' of any inclination. Simples!
The number of homosexual bishops and priests increased in the 12th century when celibacy was required for diocesan priests, thus allowing gays to live closeted lives on the nickel of Catholics. The Eastern Rite Church does not have, nor ever did have a problem with gay clergy or the sexual abuse of teenagers like in the Roman Catholic Church except for around 100 years in the US when Rome forbade them to exercise a married ministry. If celibacy were made optional for RC clergy, it would not only have more meaning by being freely chosen, but it would also result in the ordination of fewer homosexuals who could no longer live in the closet. Anyone who has kids knows that forcing them to do something is not smart. Likewise, infidelity rates among clergy are also consequences of forced celibacy that does not exist in the Eastern Rite Churches. Remember too that mandatory celibacy was introduced at a time also when most marriages were arranged. So, if we're going to be fair, and if diocesan RC priests are forced to accept celibacy if they want to be ordained (unlike Eastern Rite Catholic priests who are not forced), then I think RC Catholic lay men and women should not have a choice whom they marry, it should be decided by their parents or maybe even the priest.. Sound fair?
No other Church has a clerical sexual abuse problem the size of Catholic Church’s. But then no other Church insists that its Priests remain celibate.
A Priesthood which allowed married men to become Priests would attract many such men. As a consequence of this fact alone there would be fewer homosexual Priests in the Catholic Church. Perhaps this is a reason why so many senior clergy are opposed to the idea of married Priests.
Interesting how I have befriended former Episcopalian married Catholic priests, while most homosexually oriented priests avoid them. I think the homosexual priests may fear that the married priest's wife might pick up on their gayness.
Before we continue discussing celibacy and homosexuality,
is there a study on the biological and psychological
effects of celibacy. Does it impair the normal functions of all life systems of his body? If it does, what are these impairments, that married priests is the solution.
Going back thousands of years, the Jews viewed celibacy as an impossible commitment for most human beings. The 98% clerical celibacy failure rate seems to support that assessment. I am not familiar with any "biological" studies on celibacy. Psychologically speaking, celibacy is much easier for people who are asexual. A 2012 psychological study of “actively ministering or retired priests” in the U.S. revealed that only 26.9% of the priests identified themselves as heterosexuals; 67.3% self-identified as gay/homosexual; and 5.8% reported that they were bisexual. This study, viewed in relation to previous studies, shows how the percentage of gay clergy has risen considerably over the past decades.
I understand that it is not the natural condition of human being to be celibate generally.
To be celibate presupposed one has been given the grace to live as such.
The framing of the question of the problem in the Church with regards to sexuality is confused. The issue of homosexuality or heterosexuality digress from the root problem, which is celibacy. I am not saying that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not an issue. Ultimately the main issue is celibacy. So the discussion is so muddled. It is hard to find a practical
solution. From the point of view of homosexuality or heterosexuality does not help. Otherwise should already a workable solution this is seen from the point of view of celibacy. Celebacy will address problem whether the concern is homosexuality or heterosexuality.
I absolutely agree with you! Celibacy is an incredible calling. It’s a shame that there are so many priests who are not celibate. I sometimes wonder if the church should shrink, but maybe it’s all about money.
I totally agree with you. This affliction is not new, St. Damien wrote about this problem in his century! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
This makes me so depressed. If one is homosexual, one should not be ordained. It is too late now; the whole system is corrupted. The Vatican is just one big gay bar and den of sodomy.
Have faith in that God never leaves us orphans. Ultimately God is in charge, but we are called to do is Will and bear witness and give testimony. We mu pray for the good and persecuted religious.
As a former seminarian, I can also attest that Gene’s analysis is spot on. Most priests and bishops are homosexuals.
My apologies to you for what you suffered. Whatever you personally witnessed or knew, I would urge you to contact Gene and provide him with the facts. The more that can be publish showing the truth of this matter, the better for all.
I already did.
I have just one comment to make on this excellent article, and I am afraid it is a negative one: Marriage has never made a priest less likely to commit abuse. His victims are female, and there have been fewer cases of heterosexual priests abusing than gay priests. But marriage makes any priest less able to commit his time to his parishioners because the needs of wife and family take precedence.
Based on personal experience and experience in working with countless priests and clergy from over 60 denominations, I cannot agree with your thesis. Can a parent love one child more than ten children? I know many, many married clergy who are far more available and dedicated than so-called "celibate" priests, half of whom at any given moment in time are not living celibate lives. I don't think you have a clue about the real lives of most priests and bishops. A woman told me how dedicated her "celibate priest" was. I was tempted to reveal that he got his girlfriend pregnant twice, and the diocese is paying child support while he remains the pastor of a large parish. Another Catholic observed, "Isn't it nice that Fathers 'Bill and Bob' are going on vacation together." What that Catholic didn't know was that the priests were gay lovers who were going to Mykonos to engage in group sex with other gays. Catholics don't know how some Hispanics, like Thomas Munoz, were paid $300 to give a bishop oral sex, the same bishop who years earlier sexually abused another Hispanic enrolled in a seminary in St. Louis. With regard to your comment, "Marriage has never made a priest less likely to commit abuse," how is it that the married Ukrainian clergy in Canada did not have the sex abuse problems that the so-called celibate Ukrainians had in the U.S.? I know this because I work with Ukrainian victims of sex abuse in the U.S. who are suing Eparchies. Now that Eastern Rite clergy are allowed to marry in the U.S. as of 2014, their abuse rates are going down.
Why I object to married Priests? Pillow Talk.
I went on a retreat and the retreat master shared with my archbishop how upset I was that he was covering up countless sex abuse cases that then moved the archbishop to unjustly revoke my ecclesiastical endorsement to serve as a chaplain. Both were supposedly "celibate" priests who did not have spouses. I can provide a number of similar cases of "pillow talk" among celibate bishops and priests.
I ‘ve no doubt this is true but knowing woman as I do, I would absolutely not go to confession with a married Priest.
That's a definite!
Why borrow trouble. We have enough as it is.
BZ nicely put Sir, Ooooh-rahh Brother!!! Semper Fi Sir and have a Blessed evening 🙏
Great post Sir, I hope you have a Blessed day 🙏
Thanks, Cpl Dan! Semper Fi, Gene
The Lavender-Yoked Lament: From Vatican Veils to Sharm's Shadows
Gomulka's gut-punch gospel—80%+ gay clergy cloaking the cross in closeted chains, bishops bedding brotherhood for the mitre's mask, seminaries seeded with the snare of safe-environment stalkers—mirrors the Middle East's meddle like a man-made mockery of the Master's mercy. Both breed the "abomination in the holy place" (Mark 13:14), where the sacred yields to the profane under guises of "grace" and "generosity." The Lavender Mafia's "modus operandi"? Associations as giveaway—secretaries shadowing sin, vocations veiled in vice, cover-ups cloaking the carnal, all for the coin-chase that crucified the call (Matt 23:27: "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness."). Fast-forward to Sharm el-Sheikh's "peace" puff: Trump's 20-point tease (hostages home, 2K freed, aid unclogged) whitewashes the wicked with "radical transformation" rhetoric, but Pappé pins the peril—Netanyahu's "messianic" march to "Greater Israel," ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, genocide in Gaza, a "downsize" of the divine image to dust (Gen 1:27), the summit a "whitewash" for the war-criminal's walk while sanitation plants scorch in spite.
The yoke? Compromise's cruel cousin—Vatican's "dialogue" door (Nostra Aetate's "esteem" for false faiths) unrolling rugs in the library, unholy unions yielding to unholy unrest, just as Sharm's sands summon the savages sans the scourge (Deut 20:16-18: "You shall save alive nothing that breathes... that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices"). Both birth the burr: Lavender's leaven lures the laity to "inclusion" that ignores the impure (Lev 18:22), the "peace" plan partitions the promise for the profane, ignoring the Islamist ink that inks Israel as idol to shatter (Ps 83:4). The result? Deception's dirge—priests peddling perversion for power's purse, "peacemakers" paving peril for the pit, both daubing the wound lightly with "Peace, peace" (Jer 6:14), the house divided dancing on dynamite (Mark 3:25).
O watchmen, behold the blaze: The yoked yoke yields ruin, the lavender lament laced with the land's loss—purge the profane, proclaim the pure, for the Father's fidelity forbids the fellowship of fools (2 Cor 6:17: "Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you"). Glory to the Yoke-Breaker who breaks the burr!
Ever read the “Save Rome project”? At FromRome.info?
I'll look into that, thanks for your recommendation, Semper Fi Ma'am and God Bless you 🙏
Appreciation and blessings from Sydney Australia.
How would one even consider Cardinal Prevost the pope since the conclave was not valid since 133 cardinals voted and only 120 is actually allowed?
God help our church and the “Lavendar Mafia” in hiding.
Not to mention the fact that he subscribes to a religion that isn’t even Roman Catholicism. When Our Lord chastises the homo hive den of these apostates who infested the institutional and physical structures of the Church, please don’t pretend he gave the Sodom and Gomorrah treatment to actual Catholics because the Novus Ordo religion is no such thing.
Just yesterday, Leo publicly praised Don Lorenzo Milani, a subversive “red” priest who founded an ecumenical school, who is known to have been a boy-love aficionado who had sex with his boy students. Francis also had praised him, and even made a pilgrimage to his grave. Clearly, they think what he was doing to those boys is okay. https://substack.com/@augustatheobserver/note/c-166514860?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2v2bhv
See my next article that will be entitled, "Vos Estis Lux Mundi is a Joke."
AMEN!
Thanks very much, Fr Gene. I noted your sentence:
"...many of those who are present at ordinations to the priesthood and episcopacy often share the ordinand’s sexual orientation..."
It might throw light on the last diaconal ordination I attended, which was in 2006. I had not seen such a celebration inside a Catholic church for years. I was one of the choir from another parish who was drafted in to assist that parish's choir with the music for this rejoicing.
We did not have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or the London Symphony Orchestra. But the scale of the service made me blink. Hold on, Reverend Gents (there were loads of them from all over the diocese). He does not get made priest for another 12 months.
12 months on and the priestly ordination was held at my parish. I have never seen such preparations for any service, not even for Christmas or Easter. Our choir leader prepared detailed written performance notes for each musical piece. Yes, the opening hymn was "All are welcome". And yes, the ordinand was as bent as a straight banana.
Seeing the national ordination statistics much later, I could in one way understand the unbridled joy. The statistics in the period 2000 to 2009 slid from disastrous to catastrophic. In 2009, 15 priests were ordained for 22 dioceses in England and Wales. 14 of these 22 dioceses had zero ordinations. The clerical happiness might just have been a measure of their total background desperation.
But....were all these Reverend Gents really acclaiming the arrival of another of their brethren??
Just wow…so disgusting, but thanks to putting the predicament in plain words. I think we know Leo’s own leanings now beyond a reasonable doubt…
As always, thank you for sharing your insights and experiences, Gene. The article flows well and it’s coherent. The correlations you highlight from Sullins’ research are serious and factual, and align with patterns in abuse reports. However, many experts argue that abuse is more about power dynamics than orientation alone, and broad generalizations risk unfair judgments and overstate the crisis in the Church, bad as it is. Martel’s book might be a valuable read for its interviews, but many reviewers note its anecdotal—non-scholarly—nature. Perhaps focusing on improved screening and accountability could address these issues without division. What reforms do you propose beyond awareness?
Agree. The Church is not a democracy. I am older and my attitude now is that I am grateful for any priests so I can receive the Sacraments, I contribute what I consider is my fair share for utilities of the physical church buildings, do not give a cent to diocesan whatevers, and pray for Divine intercession. I admire these forums but so far don’t hear solutions.
How can the method of selecting bishops -- homos recommending other homos for the job -- be changed? Until somehow the promotion process is altered, all will remain in the same condition as now. I don't have much hope.
A simple and profound question. As we know like attracts like. I believe first we have to cut off the money. These are worldly men stuck and tied deeply to this world. Cut off the funds that let them live well. Second demand faithful bishops and make them answer simple questions, such as were did all the money go; and how many private investments dose your eminence have off the diocesan books? How come you never mention the fallen angels? Is it because you fear offending your bosses?
They’d rather burn everything down than change. They (Bishops). Will. Never. Change. Ever.
Hope in Jesus is well-founded. Clerics are not the correct object of hope.
That’s an excellent question
40% of minor abuse in secular society has historically been by men against boys. Active homosexuals were presumed by law enforcement to be less bounded by social custom and moral propriety. If 80% of minor abuse in the Catholic Church is of the same type, one may argue that the rate of acting homosexuality is twice as high than secular society. That would make it 10% to 20% of the clergy. That is 10% to 20% are acting out and networking as such. Whatever percentage of the rest might be same-sex attracted and to what degree is a seperate matter; but perhaps they comprise a dark nimbus around the darkest core of the current immoral and criminal clerical abusers. The trouble is that there are few bishops who summon their clergy to a high standard of a chaste vocation in as much as so many of the prelates are living low.
In response to your comment, let me say that many prelates are not setting "a high standard of chaste vocation." I can identify several U.S. prelates who are guilty of engaging in sexual predation and homosexual misconduct (See: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/bishops/global-list-of-accused-bishops/) or covering up abuse (See: https://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/databases/DallasMorningNewsBishops.htm). These lists leave out many bishops because the mainstream media looks upon clerical homosexual misconduct as consensual, even if it involves the abuse of a seminarian who is essentially a vulnerable adult. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZGU4EwL47U The actual percentage of documented predator priests in the U.S. is 23-25%, and 82-84% of the victims are males, mainly teenage boys. The US bishops GROSSLY underreported abuse within their dioceses to the John Jay Study. For example, Archbishop Edwin O'Brien reported two abuse victims when, in fact, there were over 500. The US bishops, over 85% of whom are closeted homosexuals, have been covering up for decades: 1) The percentage of homosexual bishops, priests, and seminarians in the U.S.; 2) The number of victims of clerical sexual predation; and 3) The amount of money it has cost the Catholic Church in the US for court settlements and legal fees. The USCCB reported $5 billion, when in fact it's closer to $20 billion. Two out of 198 dioceses (Los Angeles and San Diego) alone have spent $2.3 billion. As bishops lie, and lie, and lie, many Catholic media outlets (e.g., EWTN, NCR, CNS, CNA, Crux, etc.) promote their lies. Many bishops and Catholic editors hate me because I call them out for their lies and fake news.
I am so, so sad. After 50 years living as a lapsed Catholic, I recently returned to the church. I lost my faith and dealt with significant trauma when my ex-husband "came out" as a homosexual when I was 22 years old, and pregnant with our 2nd child. How am I supposed to deal with this deception?
Find support from another good Catholic or Christian. If you don't know anyone, maybe I can identify someone in your area, as I get calls from survivors from all over the US. genegomulka@gmail.com
I can personally say that I have known at least two cardinals, four bishops, and 34 priests who were/are homosexuals. I was sexually abused by two different priests. It is true what Gene says. Because I was not only conservative, but also straight, I was expelled from the major seminary just six months before being ordained. So, yes, the post-Vatican II antichurch is rife and filled with these sick predators.
Re: Marcel’s book conclusion that priests being forbidden to marry has exacerbated gay clergy — this was not nearly a problem until VII. Also, traditional priests still do not have this affliction, at least no where near these numbers. It is all in the seminaries.