For me, to make someone suffer penalties because of their sexual orientation is on the same level as making people be penalized for their gender, or race.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Anglican Church of South Africa (1)
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.
Father Timothy Radcliffe, former master of the Dominican order (1)
Such persons [homosexuals] must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided
From the Vatican “instruction” banning gays from the priesthood (1)
We’re speaking to Catholics in the pews and urging them to consider what Jesus would do if he saw his neighbor treated this way.
The Human Rights Campaign (U.S.) (1)
Once you enter the priesthood, you give up sexual activity, whether you’re straight or gay. We’re taught to love and forgive and be open. To single out people is to go against what we’re being taught. Some people, they make it seem like if a priest is gay, they are less than a priest. I don’t believe that.
Bernadette Ruiz, a stay-at-home mother of three boys, Austin, TX (2)
I’m disappointed in the Vatican. I know priests who are gay, and I fear it will make them uncomfortable – maybe even marginalized. I resent the missed opportunity to welcome young men who are gay, but are put off. We may never know the good priests we have lost from this.
Patsy Heuchling, 80, a retiree from Winchester, Mass. (2)
