U.S. Priests Association Resurrects the Issue of Gay Priests

A national organization of progressive Catholic priests who work to bring justice and renewal to the church have re-issued a 2023 statement in support of gay priests.

Entitled “Being Gay, Ordained, and Faithful to the Church and Appreciated By the Church,” the statement from the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests (AUSCP) begins by noting “The number of faithfully serving gay priests in the Catholic Church of the United States is unknown but significant,” and that AUSCP members “acknowledge these brothers serving across America, who have unjustly suffered from the formal ecclesial situation in which they find themselves.”

The purpose of reissuing the statement is to continue to raise awareness of the presence of gay priests and to keep the issue in the public eye.

The statement examines a main reason for the challenges gay priests face:

“As gay men, they struggle personally, as do all LGBTQ persons, with the teachings that describe homosexuality as ‘objectively disordered’ (‘On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons,’ 1 October 1986, #3; Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2357).  The teaching goes on to insist that any man with ‘deep seated homosexual tendencies’ cannot be admitted to the seminary and ordained as a priest. Sacred scripture is interpreted in Church documents in ways that support this position but conflict with the principles of Catholic biblical hermeneutics (CCC #109-119; cf. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation [Dei verbum]). Thus, their 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.”

As a result, the following problem exists:

“. . . [G]ay 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).”

The document closes with three recommendations to bishops about relating to gay priests:

• to offer fraternal, pastoral affirmation of their gay priests and their ministry. . .;
• to admit all candidates for seminary formation and priesthood according to the same criteria. . .;
• 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. 

(Each of these points are elaborated on in the statement.)

The statement closes with a quotation from the late Bishop Matthew Clark of Rochester, N.Y.  In his diocesan newspaper column of November 11, 2005, Bishop Clark wrote:

“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.”

New Ways Minstry thanks the AUSCP for this fine statement, and for reviving the issue for further conversation in our church.  We hope our readers and supporters will circulate the statement widely to have discussion on the topic in their local faith communities.

New Ways Ministry will be holding its annual retreat for gay priests, brothers, and deacons from Monday to Thursday, July 6-9, 2026, at Siena Retreat Center, Racine, Wisconsin (near Milwaukee).  The facilitator will be Father James Keenan, SJ, who is is the Canisius Chair, Director of the Jesuit Institute, and Vice Provost of Global Engagement at Boston College. He will be speaking on the theme “How We Understand the Truth We Live.”  For more information and to register online, click here. 

—Francis DeBernardo, New Ways Ministry, March 27, 2026