A couple of weeks ago, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Washington, wrote in his diocesan newspaper that “There are many wonderful and excellent priests in the Church who have a gay orientation, are chaste and celibate, and are very effective ministers of the Gospel” as he prepared for the Instruction officially released today.
His apologia for homosexuality among priests thus does not leave me surprised at how weak his official statement on the new Instruction is. He referred to it as a “timely document.” Um yeah, that’s about as non-committal as you can get. He may as well have said it was written in black and white on paper. Of course it’s timely. All that means is that it addresses an issue of current debate and discussion.
He then says, “We live in an era when the issue of sexual orientation is much discussed.” No kidding. Very profound. The statement adds, “Bishop Skylstad said that the discussion in the media about this document raised the question ‘whether a homosexually- inclined man can be a good priest.’” Actually, the discussion in the media may raise, but the document itself answers it: No!
Bishop Skylstad urged “all bishops and major superiors to make this Instruction the occasion for a comprehensive discussion with seminary rectors and vocation directors about the affective maturity which every priesthood candidate must manifest.” He also urged a “prayerful and honest discussion of the norms presented in the Instruction by bishops and major superiors with their presbyterates, religious communities, and seminary candidates.”
We don’t need more “discussion”, i.e. dialogue. We need implementation. Bishops and major superiors should be ordering their seminary rectors and formators to implement the instruction, not just talk about it.
But then that’s I predicted before: The document itself is meaningless if implementation is left to those who have been minding the store (badly) all along.
Perhaps His Excellency’s heart is still with the Church, but his head and feet seem to have moved to the banks of the Thames. Not exactly a lonely, brave position when one considers a number of other prelates and many Catholic university administrators that seem more at home in the environs of His Grace, Rowan Williams than His Holiness, Benedict XVI.
And as the highly prejudiced atmosphere of anti-Catholicism heats up in the United States, we may see some of these gentlemen (and ladies from our universities) decline the virtue of fortitude and officially loll about the Thames instead.
Bishop Skylstad wins the prize for the dumbest quote of the year:
(from today’s Washington Post):
Although the document does not say so, he said, the same implicitly applies to men who have deep-seated heterosexual impulses.
“Absolutely, it cuts both ways. . . . I think if the orientation dominates one’s personality, whether that be homosexual or heterosexual,” then the candidate is not suitable for ordination, Skylstad said.
Did you hear that? If someone’s heterosexual orientation dominates his personality, he cannot become a priest! Does that mean only androgynous people can become priests?? (“Hey look, it’s Father Pat!”)
The good bishop is so hopelessly muddled on this issue it’s staggering.
God help us! This man is in charge of the USCCB. Thank God though that the USCCB as a body is less and less relevant with each wimpy response they give to the dominant culture of death.
It’s funny how the USCCB can summon the courage as a body to fight the death penalty (which we as Catholics are free to form our own views on in line with constant Church teaching that it can be used) but they are so wimpy on this issue, enforcing Canon 915 against pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians, and saving Terri Schiavo. Hmmm… all of the issues that they as a body are so limp-wristed on are issues that disagree not with the Gospel of Jesus Christ but with the Democrat Party platform.
Anyone see a connection here? Many of our spineless bishops are shills for the Democrat Party and not shepherds. Of course, there are notable exceptions like Burke, Bruskewitz, Weigand, etc, but they are too few and far between.
I pray the dissenting Bishops’ heads will roll when they fail to implement the instruction.
Of course I pray that none of them will fail to lovingly follow Church teaching in all things. But when they intentionally flout it…I really wish they would be removed and replaced, quickly, with orthodox men.