Vatican Sex Sting

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  • Posted By: SmokinBertCooper @ 10/18/2007 1:50:15 PM

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  • Posted By: togus @ 10/18/2007 1:33:25 PM

    I am the wife of a former priest and I can tell you that the priesthood IS a (chosen) haven for many gay men. My husband (straight, very straight) was approached several times during his years of preparation, even so he was strong in his faith and desire to serve God and the Church. Seminarians willingly and knowingly choose celibacy with the reassurance that their fellow priests can and do fill in the empty places that family usually takes. My husband was approached after his ordaination, and worked through it. He proudly served for more than 2 decades at which time the need to share his life and home with a partner out weighed his desire to serve the church. It was a painful decision for him, but he is happier now.
    Many people don't know that the celibacy rule is only 1000 years old and was instituted mainly as a way to safeguard the monetary assets of the church. Most early preists were married. My husband would happilyserve still if he could do so as a married man. His faith is strong. We remind ourselves that the church's head is not a man, but Jesus Christ. The doctrine has stood the test of time.
    People are frail. Our Creator knows this, he made us that way. But even when we fall, he catches us in his arms, just as a father catches his toddler. I only wish that my husband and the many others like him could serve again.

    • Posted By: SeattleSheila @ 10/18/2007 1:49:25 PM

      You're right; of the many rites in the Catholic Church, only the Roman rite requires celibacy of their priests. Were your husband say, a Byzantine Catholic, he'd have been able to remain a priest. I think that one day the rule of celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church will be relaxed to require celibacy only of religious priests (those who are members of a religious congregation or order (Franciscans, Redemptorists, etc.) and that diocesan priests (those working directly for a bishop in a diocese) will be allowed to marry.

  • Posted By: Bob1964 @ 10/18/2007 1:46:58 PM

    For this very reason and many others I have personally distanced myself from the Catholic religion. As a religious leader you chose a to be a role model for all of those that are members of your church. If you cannot uphold your vows and continue to set an example it is your responsibility to be HONEST, ADMIT your guilt and resign from your position. What makes things worse is the methods used to cover them up. Doesn't the bible tell us to be honest and confess our sins? That is how we are to be forgiven isn't it? Yet the Catholic Church consistantly covers them up and denies any wrong doing. How many of you out there go to confession every week only to go out and commit the same sins again thinking you can be forgiiven next Sunday. God isnt stupid and if you believe you can be forgiven for the same thing over and over again you are a fool. I would also like to know why so much is spent on stained glass, statues and ornate buildings to worship in? Shouldnt all of that money go to the people that need it most? Isnt that what Jesus would want? The Catholic religion needs a wake up call. Stop the lies and cover ups. Set an example. Follow the teachings of the Bible. What's that old saying? Is it 'Practice what you preach?' What a bunch of hypocrites!

  • Posted By: mbronner @ 10/18/2007 1:44:22 PM

    Jesus didn't say any of those things as far as you know. You only believe what others said that Jesus said. If you were in an American court of Law, and someone said that someone else said something, that is called hearsay and is inadmissible. Yet you believe those words because of your dedication to fiction.

  • Posted By: PLarsen @ 10/18/2007 1:43:50 PM

    I fail to see how Father Stenico broke his vows. Is it not alright in the Church's eyes to be a non-practicing homosexual? He spoke to the young man as both a priest and as an older, homosexual man trying to give comfort and guidance to a young person troubled by a conflict between what the Church teaches and what he is inside.

    Never in this story does Father Stenico reveal if he has maintained his celibacy or not. His biggest problem is that he states that he implies he does not believe the Church's view on homosexual acts. If one has vowed to be celibate or monogamous, one should be so. However, Father Stenico let the young man know it was OK to accept who and what he was and still be a good Catholic. It is nice to know that a growing number of priests are telling young people this.

  • Posted By: PLarsen @ 10/18/2007 1:43:25 PM

    I fail to see how Father Stenico broke his vows. Is it not alrigth in the Church's eyes to be a non-practicing homosexual? He spoke to the young man as both a priest and as an older, homosexual man trying to give comfort and guidance to a young person troubled by a conflict between what the Church teaches and what he is inside.

    Never in this story does Father Stenico reveal if he has maintained his celibacy or not. His biggest problem is that he states that he implies he does not believe the Church's view on homosexual acts. If one has vowed to be celibate or monogamous, one should be so. However, Father Stenico let the young man know it was OK to accept who and what he was and still be a good Catholic. It is nice to know that a growing number of priests are telling young people this.

  • Posted By: PLarsen @ 10/18/2007 1:43:16 PM

    I fail to see how Father Stenico broke his vows. Is it not alrigth in the Church's eyes to be a non-practicing homosexual? He spoke to the young man as both a priest and as an older, homosexual man trying to give comfort and guidance to a young person troubled by a conflict between what the Church teaches and what he is inside.

    Never in this story does Father Stenico reveal if he has maintained his celibacy or not. His biggest problem is that he states that he implies he does not believe the Church's view on homosexual acts. If one has vowed to be celibate or monogamous, one should be so. However, Father Stenico let the young man know it was OK to accept who and what he was and still be a good Catholic. It is nice to know that a growing number of priests are telling young people this.

  • Posted By: PLarsen @ 10/18/2007 1:43:09 PM

    I fail to see how Father Stenico broke his vows. Is it not alrigth in the Church's eyes to be a non-practicing homosexual? He spoke to the young man as both a priest and as an older, homosexual man trying to give comfort and guidance to a young person troubled by a conflict between what the Church teaches and what he is inside.

    Never in this story does Father Stenico reveal if he has maintained his celibacy or not. His biggest problem is that he states that he implies he does not believe the Church's view on homosexual acts. If one has vowed to be celibate or monogamous, one should be so. However, Father Stenico let the young man know it was OK to accept who and what he was and still be a good Catholic. It is nice to know that a growing number of priests are telling young people this.

  • Posted By: annlenny @ 10/18/2007 1:42:41 PM

    "small "underground" gay community " ??????? Do you also believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus??
    Yeah.
    Have you forgotten that this "church" has carried out and condoned the most evil of abuses on our most vunerable people - children? The church will never be rid of this perversion. It is built on it.

  • Posted By: vignesh @ 10/18/2007 1:41:11 PM

    All these men lead a life of royals which makes to indulge in all vices. This problem will vanish once they start living in open practising religion in the real sense.

  • Posted By: shortnsassy99 @ 10/18/2007 1:23:09 PM

    Society needs to stop calling those who try to lure innocent victims of the same sex into a deviant sexual act, GAY! Or HOMOSEXUAL! Those people who commit such crimes are "SEXUAL DEVIANTS". You wouldn't call a man who rapes a woman a HETERSEXUALl! To classify a homosexual the same as those who commit deviant sexual crimes is irreprehensible. I have many friends who are gay and they are wonderful, proud and upstanding individuals, unlike those so-called priests and Senator Craig! It shames me our society would put our gay community in the same context as those who commit crimes.

    • Posted By: 2QT2BSTR8 @ 10/18/2007 1:39:39 PM

      Thank you for that intelligent comment. Celibacy means NO SEX. Doesn't matter if it's with a man or woman.

  • Posted By: resueman @ 10/18/2007 1:21:50 PM

    I am no longer proud too be a catholic. There are no excuses for being a gay priest, maybe for setting a bad example. Candy little boy?!

    • Posted By: SeattleSheila @ 10/18/2007 1:28:54 PM

      I've known gay priests who kept their vows just like heterosexual priests. Celibacy is celibacy. I don't care if they are gay, bi or whatever as long as the person keeps their vow.

      • Posted By: resueman @ 10/18/2007 1:39:05 PM

        How would you know what happens when you are not there?? The people, I included at one time did show respect for the prist. Now they believe they are above the law. Wait!! It could be they are in training to become a government offical.

  • Posted By: naiomi @ 10/18/2007 1:34:40 PM

    I just don't know what's up with the catholics, where do they come from and why don't priests marry, they are not doing what our lord wants them to do they are just in the church business for easy living and advantage of the poor people.

  • Posted By: Tadpole @ 10/18/2007 1:33:16 PM

    And on the 8th day the Lord said, "Let there be gloryholes"

  • Posted By: Tadpole @ 10/18/2007 1:32:25 PM

    And on the 8th day, the Lord said, "let there be gloryholes"

  • Posted By: mbronner @ 10/18/2007 1:24:39 PM

    And SeattleSheila is a perfect example.

  • Posted By: mclem4u @ 10/18/2007 1:30:17 PM

    Priest's Gay? This has been going on for years and even one Pope in the eleventh century was a known gay.
    These people are no different than the ones in the protestant church! However, they will pay a huge price on judgement day because they claim to be religious leaders. They also should quit the priesthood or be removed from their position. We put too much trust in a Catholic Priest, elavating them to a near "Godly Figure," (The Holy Father?)

  • Posted By: kingsessing01 @ 10/18/2007 1:27:05 PM

    The catholic church is a joke, their more worried about how much money they have to fork up after the fact rather than preventing the perv priest from molesting young children.

  • Posted By: hillaryclinton @ 10/18/2007 1:20:01 PM

    The Catholic church is based on lies. They teach that priest should be worshipped like Christ. I worked for two different churches in the midwest. Two different priest told me that ninety percent of all priest were homosexual and over fifty percent were pedophiles. The first priest I worked for died of aids. The second priest I worked for told me that only priest were celibate, that laymen simply abstained (Boy did he have that backwards). Later that same year that same priest hit on me even though he knew I was married and had children. I guess he figured if I worked for the church it was worth a shot I might be gay. The priest that replaced that one fired me and hired two blatantly homosexuals to replace me. He also hired an equally blatant homosexual as our youth group director. This was after priest were being revealed as frequent offenders of pedophilia in the mainstream media. No wonder there are so many self proclaimed "Recovering Catholics" in the world. I know I'm one.

    • Posted By: SeattleSheila @ 10/18/2007 1:24:32 PM

      I'm not going to "pick a fight" but "worshipped like Christ"?...uh no, never heard that one. That's nuts. I'm sorry you have had some terrible experiences.

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