U.S. Priests Group Defends Gay Clergy, Seeks Dialogue with Bishops

A nationwide reform-oriented priests’ group approved a statement of support for gay clergy at its assembly earlier this year, and they ask the U.S. bishops to do likewise for such men.

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP) passed the statement in June as its members gathered in San Diego.  The statement began to be circulated widely this past weekend. The text is titled “Being Gay, Ordained, Faithful to the Church and Appreciated by the Church: Are All These Possible in Today’s Church?” In it, the members of AUSCP’s Mutual Support Work Group, which focuses on caring for fellow clergy, write:

“The number of faithfully serving gay priests in the Catholic Church of the United States is unknown but significant. We, the members of the Association of US Catholic Priests (AUSCP), today, acknowledge these brothers serving across America, who have unjustly suffered from the formal ecclesial situation in which they find themselves. . .[T]heir individual processes of ‘coming out’ to themselves can be deeply stressful and self-alienating, causing them to conduct the process entirely ‘in the closet,’ without support. Even finding an understanding and balanced spiritual director or confessor is not always easy.”

The statement elucidates the multiple challenges that gay priests face. Among these include the Vatican’s prohibition on gay men being admitted to seminaries and other official documents that are “not supportive.” These documents force gay priests to endure a “‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ approach about their sexual orientation with their bishops, fellow priests, and parishioners,” even while “courageously maintaining” their vows of chastity. The statement continues:

“Second, gay priests are caught between the truth of their identity and experience, and their role as representatives of the Church and its teachings. This dilemma applies to both the public forums in which a priest finds himself (preaching, catechesis, ministerial programs, and outreach to LGBTQ persons, and so on), and the private forums (pastoral counseling, spiritual direction, and the sacrament of Penance). How do we assist gay priests, so they do not feel caught?

“Third, this leads to an ongoing identity crisis for the gay priest. ‘Do I deny who I am and go on serving God’s people (“don’t ask, don’t tell”), or do I acknowledge who I am as a human being and Christ’s minister, and let the chips fall where they may? Is there a way to integrate my vocations as a human being, a Catholic Christian, and an ordained priest in a healthy and beneficial way for me and the people I serve?’ How do we assist gay priests who are struggling with an identity crisis?”

The statement ends with three requests of the bishops, as each bishop in the U.S. was sent a copy of the statement by AUSCP. They request:

“- to offer fraternal, pastoral affirmation of their gay priests and their ministry; in other words, to provide a safe environment for them to be who they know themselves to be;

“- to admit all candidates for seminary formation and priesthood according to the same criteria: a mature and balanced personality, capable of establishing sound human and pastoral relationships, a full working knowledge in theology and the living tradition of the Church, a solid spiritual life, and a love for the Church (see John Paul II, Pastores gregis, #48). The issue is sexual maturity and integration, not sexual orientation;

“- and in the spirit of synodal dialogue, to publicly call for the ongoing development of the Church’s teaching on human sexuality, taking advantage of the work already being done by those in the human and social sciences, and many biblical scholars and theologians, in dialogue with the experiences of LGBTQ persons.”

AUSCP’s members close their statement with a quote from the late Bishop Matthew Clark, emeritus of Rochester, which he made after meeting with two gay priests nearly twenty years ago:

“In any case, the two priests of our diocese told me that they are homosexual, and I am glad that they did. It seemed a great relief to them that their bishop — to whom they are so closely bound in priestly identity and ministry — should be aware of this important aspect of their personal reality. I know that I was deeply gratified that they entrusted me with that information. I had come to know and admire them through years of shared ministry. Their simplicity and honesty with me only deepened my regard for them.”

This statement on gay clergy is one of several steps that the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests’ members have taken to expand LGBTQ+ inclusion in the church. At the June assembly, one of the keynotes was Brian Flanagan, a married gay theologian who serves on New Ways Ministry’s board. In 2021, AUSCP endorsed “A Home for All: A Catholic Call for LGBTQ Non-Discrimination” released by New Ways Ministry.  In 2018, a resolution was passed by that year’s assembly to seek changes in the language about lesbian and gay people that is used in church teaching. And in 2017, AUSCP sharply condemned the Vatican’s decision to re-emphasize its ban on admitting gay men to seminary.

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, August 21, 2023

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