Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Vicar of Rome and one of the Vatican’s top leaders, wants gay priests to come out of the closet. And get the hell out of the Catholic Church.
The surprisingly candid remarks come on the heels of a report in Panorama Magazine — owned by Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which itself is a big deal — that claims it has video footage of three Catholic priests (two Italian and one French, but the magazine isn’t, yet, naming names) going to gay clubs and having sex with men. “By day they are regular priests, complete with dog collar, but, at night it’s off with the cassock as they take their place as perfectly integrated members of the Italian capital’s gay scene,” reads a preview of the article distributed to the press. A reporter used a gay “accomplice” and “gate-crashed the wild nights of a number of priests in Rome who live a surprising double-life.”
The report will only add to the Catholic Church’s headaches, which range from child abuse scandals that are engulfing the pope to a Connecticut priest fleecing the church to pay for male escorts to a male prostitution ring being run out of the Vatican. But video footage is always the most damning, and its imminent release will further scar the church’s already sullied reputation.
But it’s Cardinal Vallini’s remarks that are most surprising. Rather than further shield gay priests, he’s now demanding they come out of the shadows and leave their flocks. See? Something we can all agree on: It’s best when all the gays come out!
How about we take this to the next level?
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Mike in Asheville
Not including quick introductions at weddings or accompanying my grandmother to Mass, I have known four priests (well one was still in divinity school) socially. And they were ALL gay!
Three of them were fuck buddies with moments of personal conflict until it came time to fuck; the fourth was a member of a gay support group, working out his conflicts.
For the world at large, wouldn’t it be amazing if all gay Catholic priests declared their sexuality! Force the Church to deal with inclusion or excommunication?! Would there be anywhere enough priests to hold Mass for the masses?
(This is terribly unlikely unless labor laws would protect the gay priests from losing their pensions and earned benefits.) Of course, they could become Episcopalians.
Mr. Enemabag Jones
Yes, because god forbid they have sex with consenting adults. That’s just icky.
Ivars
If they all came out and left, there would be like 3 priests left in the whole world.
Paula Brooks
If all the gay priest come out and get put out of the Church… the only people who will be in the Vatican will be the tourists.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Mr. Enemabag Jones: Guess he may not have heard the old “be carefull of what you wish for”……….
I tended bar during college. I had six regular customers who were Priests. Three were from one Parish, the entire clergy of that one Parish were Gay! They were some of the funniest, wittiest customers in the bar. They did make it a point to travel fairly far from their home Parishes. Was always intersting to see one of the Parishoners walk in and suddenly see one of his Priests sitting at the bar…..
Lanjier
Wasting gay talent on the Catholic Church is pure evil. Take the advice, come out, and stop propping up that abhorrent evil empire.
Cam
While the church is at it, could we please see the records of all the payoffs they have given to support children fathered by priests with female parisoners?
Work_It
Lol.
Seriously…..there wouldn’t be anyone to run the joint.
(Just like Washington…..how many coverups have been unmasked and reported there now? 6 billion?)
Homophobia & being closeted is a silly waste of time. Why not wish the sky was green instead of blue while you’re at it.
roger
I worked in Catholic higher education for ten years. I am Protestant, so I didn’t have any previous experience with priests before working at 2 colleges and getting to travel to many others in the U.S. I had no idea how pervasive homosexuality is in the priesthood.
Every priest on our campus in a large midwestern town was gay. I’m convinced that one was celibate – maybe even asexual. But the other three were quite active (if relatively anonymously) in the local gay community. The last time I went to visit friends in that town, I saw two of them together at one of the bath with other priests from the archdiocese. I recognized them and they clearly recognized me – awkward doesn’t begin to describe it.
When I went to conferences or to visit other colleges and universities, I found the same thing. I’m not kidding that I must have only met one or two straight priests over that ten years.
If priests start stampeding out of the closet anytime soon, the Church better have a plan to allow women more leadership – because the priests will be gone.
[email protected]
DAYUM! Have you guys seem some of the Priests in Italy? They are so hawt they could pass as underwear models in a heart beat! (Saw a few when CNN interviewed them after Pope John Paul’s death…)
Gus
@Mike in Asheville:
“Of course, they could become Episcopalians.”
There are not enough Episcopal Churches in the world to take that many ex-priests
Mykelb
Hypocracy thy name is Benedict.
RickyRicardo
@Lanjier: Gay priests, much to our shame and disgrace as gay men, ARE part of that evil empire bub, having orgies, molesting kids, lying. Just like Hollywood. So it´s not the church that is all fucked up, it´s the gay guys that go into it in the first place!
james_from_the_great_city_of_cambridge
Post the sex tape or it doesn’t exist (though I’ll probably have to gouge out my eyes after seeing their saggy, hypocritical asses.) Still, tape please!
Coxygru
This is shocking! But it’s only been going on for centuries…
RJ
Good for these priests! I do hope that they practiced safe sex everytime, but hope this serves as a stepping stone allowing them freedom from psychological oppression, allowing them to explore and live happier lives.
This is not scandal, this is only a story about who Roman Catholic priests are men.
What’s the quote..
“All humans make mistakes, and all leaders are but human.”
wannabegay2
so again people can wrongly associate gayness with pedophilia. this is just great. thanks!
Lance Rockland
How do know if a Reverend is interested in you? I got one who contacted me on Facebook recently. He requested me as a friend and then sent me an IM. He’s married.
What do I do?
Lance Rockland
How do you know if a Reverend is interested in you? I got one who contacted me on Facebook recently. He requested me as a friend and then sent me an IM. He’s married.
What do I do?
james_from_the_great_city_of_cambridge
@Lance Rockland: Invite him over, dress like an altar boy and secretly tape him as he molests you and collect billions!!
Jouin
I fucking hate that cover. Can we please stop associating the gay with everything pink, womanly, or whatever tedious and trite stereotype you could think of?
Kieran
You mean there are actually gay priests in Italy? I’m SHOCKED—SHOCKED I tell you! What next?
REVEMUPMAN
OMG! holy gay people, its so impossible Jesus has to be coming back!
fagburn
If anyone wants to pretend to be scandalised there are links to the photos and videos, and an English translation of the Panorama article here – http://fagburn.blogspot.com/2010/07/gay-priests-scandal-full-story-and-pics.html
ewe
The evil lady in Red is just reacting to those who are trying to get her arrested for decades of covering up crimes against children.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2010/07/23/government-plans-to-stop-pope-arrest/
ewe
Oh it’s white today. the pure thing and all. yada yada yada. Notice how they scorn consensual adult sex while the pope continues to evade how he protected pedophiles from scarring youth all over the world?
ewe
A rat is a rat will always be a RAT.
whatever
I spent time in the gulag…COUGH..COUGH…”Catholic reparative therapy”. I’m so tired of the gay clergy psychologically victimizing the gay laity and then acting hypocritically with adults and/or abusing kids. This game has gotten old quickly.
So many conservative Catholics want all the gay priests to get up and go. I say, “yeah do it”. There ain’t gonna be no more church when the gay priests get up and go. I’m all for married priests simply because maybe the (mostly) heteros might be able to take up the slack. Seriously, who would want to be a priest and put up with this crap? Male, female, hetero, homo, who? The whole system is FUBAR’d and I don’t see any help on the horizon.