06 December 2005
Archbishop favors ban vs. homosexuals entering priesthood
ARCHBISHOP Oscar Cruz of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese favors the ban on homosexuals entering priesthood but clarified that gender orientation in no way diminishes the dignity of humans.
Cruz was reacting to the move of the Catholic Church to keep away homosexuals from the priesthood, which he believes “is not degrading nor a discriminating observance” but only a “simple reality”.
The former president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and also anti-jueteng crusader, maintained that it would be rather difficult for a homosexual to be pushed to a heterosexual mileu, as this is neither logical nor fair.
He maintained however that heterosexuals unduly inclined to women are also neither meant for the priesthood. He clarified that this too is not discrimination but admission of truth.
“It would be unrealistic to impose on them celibacy. Such would be something extraordinary which is also unfair and unreasonable,” Cruz said.
In the same way, he said, women are not meant to become priests. This, he added, “are dissonant composites—not discriminatory realities”.
Maintaining that every human person must be good for something though not for everything, Cruz said that while majority of the people get married, there are those who simply do not for one reason or another.
These people do not feel that marriage is for them so they remain single for life. This is something connatural for them that does not make them more or less of a person, he said.
Cruz said there are homosexuals who succeed and how fail in temporal matters and so are heterosexuals who shine and fade in earthly pursuits. What makes them rise and fall is not their sexual identity but rather their talents as persons and their opportunities as individuals, he rationalized.
Cruz was reacting to the move of the Catholic Church to keep away homosexuals from the priesthood, which he believes “is not degrading nor a discriminating observance” but only a “simple reality”.
The former president of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and also anti-jueteng crusader, maintained that it would be rather difficult for a homosexual to be pushed to a heterosexual mileu, as this is neither logical nor fair.
He maintained however that heterosexuals unduly inclined to women are also neither meant for the priesthood. He clarified that this too is not discrimination but admission of truth.
“It would be unrealistic to impose on them celibacy. Such would be something extraordinary which is also unfair and unreasonable,” Cruz said.
In the same way, he said, women are not meant to become priests. This, he added, “are dissonant composites—not discriminatory realities”.
Maintaining that every human person must be good for something though not for everything, Cruz said that while majority of the people get married, there are those who simply do not for one reason or another.
These people do not feel that marriage is for them so they remain single for life. This is something connatural for them that does not make them more or less of a person, he said.
Cruz said there are homosexuals who succeed and how fail in temporal matters and so are heterosexuals who shine and fade in earthly pursuits. What makes them rise and fall is not their sexual identity but rather their talents as persons and their opportunities as individuals, he rationalized.
