Half of priests say gay subculture exists

Christian Century, August 28, 2002

More than half of Catholic priests say a gay subculture exists in their dioceses or religious orders, according to a new study commissioned by the National Federation of Priests' Councils. The survey of 1,200 priests found that 55 percent detected some element of a gay subculture, with younger priests finding it more pronounced than older priests. More than one-quarter said they didn't know if a subculture existed.

Of those surveyed, 19 percent said there is "clearly" a gay subculture in Catholic seminaries, and 26 percent said it "probably" exists in seminaries. The survey was conducted by sociologists Dean Hoge and Jacqueline Wenger of Catholic University. It was presented August 16 to a Chicago meeting of the Association for the Sociology of Religion.

Exactly how many Catholic priests are gay is not known, but estimates range from about 10 percent to as high as 50 percent. The issue has been a sensitive one for church leaders in recent months, as some critics claimed to see a link between gay priests and sexual abuse. The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Wilton Gregory, complained earlier this year that "it is an ongoing struggle to make sure that the Catholic priesthood is not dominated by homosexual men."

In interviews conducted as part of the study, one priest said he was "shocked" by the "very strong subculture" and "thought it had some negative effects." Another priest lamented that "certain of the seminarians were kind of predators to other people in the seminary community." One priest said he didn't mind if gays are ordained as priests, as long as they agree to abide by church-mandated celibacy. "I think homosexual priests who come out publicly and make a big deal about it, especially from the pulpit ... that is professional malpractice," he said.

As part of new sex abuse rules adopted last June, the bishops agreed to cooperate with a Vatican-led "apostolic visitation" of U.S. seminaries. Many in the church worry that the investigation will seek to root out gays. Earlier this year, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said "people with these inclinations just cannot be ordained."

The survey also polled priests about celibacy. Fifty-six percent of priests think it should be optional, but only 12 percent said they would probably or certainly get married if celibacy were no longer mandatory.--RNS