what makes you think i'm not priest material?

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 06, 2006

Peter Tatchell is a self-described "human-rights activist" and founder of the agit-prop outfit called OutRage. The "right" Tatchell is most concerned to exercise is one he finds slighted in the Holy See's Instruction concerning seminary admissions, issued last November. It's ironic, if not surprising, that mendacity on the part of afflicted seminarians is something he takes for granted:

"How does the Vatican propose to prove that trainee priests have overcome 'transitory' homosexuality?" Tatchell said. "What bizarre tests will it use to confirm that they are 100 percent heterosexual? Will the heads of seminaries authorize pretty priests to test the sexuality of new recruits?"

An adult, Mr. Tatchell, could tell the truth about himself -- a possibility you seem not to have considered.

The reasoning of the Holy See's Instruction hinges on the notion of affective maturity, i.e., thinking and acting like a grown-up. The "spiritual paternity" which the Church wants in a priest means that the people who repair to him with problems should find someone who comes across more as a father than as a surly teenager. Panicky use of the tu quoque and fondness for angry hyperbole are prime examples of the lack of control characteristic of the adolescent. Who's more likely to scream "Nazi!" at the other and run off slamming the door: the thwarted thirteen-year-old girl, or the father who grounded her for the weekend? Exactly.

In the photo below, in which both Peter Tatchell and Pope Benedict figure, notice who has painted the Swastika earrings on whom.