Selected Doctrinal Arguments against the Admission of Persons of Homosexual Orientation to the Sacrament of Holy Orders

Abstract

The problem addressed in this article is what doctrinal arguments are behind the current decision of the Holy See not to admit men with a deep-seated homosexual orientation to the sacrament of Holy Orders. The problem may be solved in three stages: by showing selected contents of the documents of the Holy See in the 20th and 21st centuries, by presenting the doctrinal themes contained therein and by attempting to evaluate their reception in the light of current challenges. The author invokes the documents of the Holy See and the statements of the popes.