In a surprising shift in Catholic Church policy, new Vatican guidelines suggest that gay men can now be accepted into seminaries to train as priests—provided they remain celibate.
This new rule, recently approved by Italian bishops, marks a significant departure from previous teachings that strictly forbade gay men from becoming priests.
The new guidelines state that gay men can pursue priesthood training, but like all priests, they must adhere to a vow of celibacy.
This means no sexual relationships, a rule that has always been in place for heterosexual priests as well.
The Vatican’s guidelines emphasize that a man’s sexual orientation should not be the sole focus in the discernment process for priesthood candidates. Instead, it should be considered as one part of the person’s overall character.
“When referring to homosexual tendencies in the formation process, it is also appropriate not to reduce the discernment to this aspect alone, but … to understand its meaning within the whole framework of the young person’s personality,” the guidelines state.

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While this new policy is a major change within the Italian church, it remains unclear whether other countries will adopt the same stance.
In the past, the Catholic Church’s official teachings considered homosexual activity to be “intrinsically disordered,” and a 2016 directive prohibited men with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” from entering the priesthood.
This new guidance, however, suggests a more inclusive approach to gay candidates, acknowledging sexual preferences as one aspect of a person’s identity, but not as a barrier to priesthood training.
Women, regardless of their sexual orientation, continue to be barred from becoming priests, and only men can hold the position of Pope.
Pope Francis has faced both praise and criticism for his more open approach to the LGBT+ community.
While he has stated that “being a homosexual is not a crime” and allowed priests to bless same-sex couples on a case-by-case basis, the topic of admitting gay men into the priesthood has been a controversial subject.