and the beat goes on...

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 25, 2005

Father Timothy Radcliffe, former worldwide head of the Dominican order, tells readers of The Tablet how they should interpret the Vatican Instruction:

I have no doubt that God does call homosexuals to the priesthood, and they are among the most dedicated and impressive priests I have met....And we may presume that God will continue to call both homosexuals and heterosexuals to the priesthood because the Church needs the gifts of both.

Wait; doesn't the Instruction say that homosexuals should not be admitted to seminaries? Some people make that claim, Father Radcliffe tells us:

But this cannot be correct since, as I have said, there are many excellent priests who are gay and who clearly have a vocation from God.

The key to the logic of that sentence are the words "as I have said." If we're allowed to question the accuracy of Father Radcliffe's observation-- much in the same way that he questions the accuracy of the Vatican document-- we're back at Square One.

Alternatively, we could question the logical powers of the former Dominican leader. Especially when, in his discussion of "spiritual paternity," he writes:

If the role of the priest was to be a model of masculinity, then he would be relevant to less than half of the congregation...

Because, as we all know, women don't have fathers.