Deep Reads: A gay uple ran a rtrant peace. Then new neighbors arrived. - The Washgton Post

Contents:

• FOUR FIVE VATIN PRITS ARE GAY, BOOK CLAIMS
• THE GAY CHURCH
• ‘IT IS NOT A CLOSET. IT IS A CAGE.’ GAY CATHOLIC PRITS SPEAK OUT
• GAY PRITS: BREAKG THE SILENCE
• THE VATIN’S SECRET LIFEDPE HEADL ABOUT A POWERFUL “GAY LOBBY” WH THE VATIN, AND A NEW POPE PROMISG REFORM, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S GAY RDALS, MONKS, AND OTHER CLERGY HAB A HIDN HERWORLD. IN ROME, THE THOR LEARNS HOW THEY NAVIGATE THE DANGERO PARADOX OF THEIR LIV.BY MICHAEL JOSEPH GROSSNOVEMBER 15, 2013SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVENAKED BUT FOR THE TOWEL AROUND HIS WAIST, A MAN OF A CERTA AGE SAT BY HIMSELF, BENT SLIGHTLY FORWARD AS IF PRAYG, A RNER OF THE SNA AT A GYM CENTRAL ROME. I HAD NOT MET THIS MAN BEFORE, BUT AS I ENTERED THE SNA, I THOUGHT I REGNIZED HIM OM PHOTOGRAPHS. HE LOOKED LIKE A PRIT WH WHOM I’D RRPOND AFTER MUTUAL IENDS PUT TOUCH, A MAN I HAD WANTED TO NSULT ABOUT GAY CLERICS THE VATIN CURIA. MY IENDS TOLD ME THAT THIS PRIT WAS GAY, POLILLY SAVVY, AND WELL NNECTED TO THE GAY CHURCH HIERARCHY ROME.BUT THIS ULDN’T BE THAT PRIT. HE HAD TOLD ME THAT HE’D BE AWAY AND ULDN’T MEET. YET AS I LOOKED AT THE MAN MORE CLOSELY, I SAW THAT WAS FELY HIM. WHEN WE WERE ALONE, I SPOKE HIS NAME, TELLG HIM ME. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE OUT OF THE UNTRY,” I SAID. “HOW LUCKY FOR ME: YOU’RE HERE!” STARTLED, THE PRIT TALKED FAST. Y, HIS PLANS HAD CHANGED, HE SAID, BUT HE WAS LEAVG AGA THE NEXT DAY AND WOULD RETURN ONLY AFTER I WAS GONE.DURG THE PREV FEW DAYS, I HAD HEARD A LOT ABOUT THIS MAN. I HAD HEARD THAT HE IS A GOSSIP, A SOCIAL OPERATOR WHOSE LENDAR IS A BLUR OF DRKS AND DNERS WH RDALS AND ARCHBISHOPS, PRCIPSAS AND PERSONAL TRAERS. SUPPOSEDLY, HE LOV TO DISH MALE LLEAGU WH MPY FEMALE NICKNAM. BUT I WOULD NEVER HAVE THE EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND. THE PRIT WAS EMBARRASSED: TO HAVE BEEN CHANCED UPON AT THIS PLACE; TO HAVE HAD HIS SMALL EVASNS REVEALED. THE ENUNTER WAS AWKWARD. NO, HE DID NOT WISH TO DISCS THE SUBJECT I WAS TERTED . NO, HE DID NOT THK THE SUBJECT WORTHWHILE. THE THGS HE MA CLEAR. WE LEFT THE SNA AND, AFTER FURTHER NVERSATN, CIVIL BUT STILTED, WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS.I ULD UNRSTAND HIS DISFORT. BUT ROME THE DAYS THE TOPIC OF GAY PRITS THE UPPER REACH OF THE HOLY SEE IS HARD TO AVOID. IN FEBARY OF THIS YEAR, NOT LONG BEFORE THE COLLEGE OF CARDALS GATHERED THE SISTE CHAPEL FOR THE NCLAVE TO CHOOSE THE 266TH POPE, THE LARGT ITALIAN DAILY NEWSPAPER, LA REPUBBLI, REPORTED THAT A “GAY LOBBY”—A MORE OR LS UNIFIED BAL OF HOMOSEXUAL POWER BROKERS—MIGHT BE OPERATG SI THE VATIN. ACRDG TO THE NEWSPAPER, THE POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF THIS GAY LOBBY WAS AMONG THE MANY SECRETS SCRIBED A TWO-VOLUME, 300-PAGE REPORT BOUND RED AND PRENTED TO POPE BENEDICT XVI BY THREE RDALS HE HAD APPOTED TO VTIGATE THE AFFAIR KNOWN AS “VATILEAKS.” THAT SNDAL, WHICH RAISED H SPICNS OF ENMIC RPTN WH THE CURIA, HAD BROKEN THE PREV YEAR AFTER PAOLO GABRIELE, THE PAPAL BUTLER, MA OFF WH SOME OF BENEDICT’S PRIVATE PAPERS AND LEAKED THEM TO THE PRS.THE TERNAL VATILEAKS REPORT, ACRDG TO LA REPUBBLI, DITED THAT GAY CLERICS THE VATIN WERE BEG BLACKMAILED. THE REPORT WAS ALSO SAID TO DOCUMENT THE ALLEGED GAY LOBBY’S SOCIAL STCTURE AND CTOMS. YET TAILS NCERNG GAY PRITS’ GATHERGS ADD UP TO OLD NEWS: THE TAL HAD BEEN TOLD ARTICL PREVLY PUBLISHED BY LA REPUBBLI SELF. SENSATNALLY, THE NEWSPAPER SUGGTED THAT BENEDICT’S NCERN ABOUT THE ALLEGED GAY LOBBY WAS ONE REASON HE HAD SUDNLY RIGNED THE PAPACY.MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER LEAK OF NFINTIAL RMATN BROUGHT THE SUBJECT OF A GAY LOBBY BACK TO THE NEWS. SOMEONE TOOK NOT DURG WHAT WAS MEANT TO BE A PRIVATE MEETG BETWEEN LAT-AMERIN CHURCH LEARS AND THE NEW POPE, THE FORMER RDAL JE BERGOGL, ARCHBISHOP OF BUENOS AIR, NOW KNOWN AS FRANCIS. IN JUNE, THOSE NOT WERE PUBLISHED ON A PROGRSIVE CATHOLIC WEB SE. FRANCIS WAS QUOTED AS SAYG, “THE ‘GAY LOBBY’ IS MENTNED, AND IS TE, IS THERE … WE NEED TO SEE WHAT WE N DO.”A CLOSET WH NO DOORGAY LOBBY? IT PENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN. THE TERM ULD REFER TO A SHADOWY GROUP LIKE THE ILLUMATI, WHOSE MEMBERS QUIETLY EXERCISE SUPREME POWER. THIS IS THE SORT OF IA THAT LIGHTS UP THE TIL HATS OF NSPIRACY THEORISTS, AND DON’T PTURE THE SLOW, FDAL, EFFICIENT WORKGS OF THE VATIN. “GAY LOBBY” IS REALLY SHORTHAND FOR SOMETHG ELSE. AT THE VATIN, A SIGNIFINT NUMBER OF GAY PRELAT AND OTHER GAY CLERICS ARE POSNS OF GREAT THORY. THEY MAY NOT ACT AS A LLECTIVE BUT ARE AWARE OF ONE ANOTHER’S EXISTENCE. AND THEY HAB A SECRETIVE HERWORLD, BEE HOMOSEXUALY IS OFFICIALLY NMNED. THOUGH THE NUMBER OF GAY PRITS GENERAL, AND SPECIFILLY AMONG THE CURIA ROME, IS UNKNOWN, THE PROPORTN IS MUCH HIGHER THAN THE GENERAL POPULATN. BETWEEN 20 AND 60 PERCENT OF ALL CATHOLIC PRITS ARE GAY, ACRDG TO ONE TIMATE CED BY DONALD B. COZZENS HIS WELL-REGARD THE CHANGG FACE OF THE PRITHOOD. FOR GAY CLERICS AT THE VATIN, ONE FUNDAMENTAL NDN OF THEIR POWER, AND OF THEIR PRITHOOD, IS SILENCE, AT LEAST PUBLIC, ABOUT WHO THEY REALLY ARE.CLERICS HAB THIS SILENCE A VARIETY OF WAYS. A FEW KEEP THEIR SEXUALY ENTIRELY PRIVATE AND ADHERE TO THE VOW OF CELIBACY. MANY OTHERS QUIETLY LET THEMSELV BE KNOWN AS GAY TO A LIMED GREE, TO SOME LLEAGU, OR TO SOME LAYPEOPLE, OR BOTH; SOMETIM THEY REMA CELIBATE AND SOMETIM THEY DO NOT. A THIRD WAY, PERHAPS THE LEAST MON BUT CERTALY THE MOST VISIBLE, VOLV LIVG A DOUBLE LIFE. OCSNALLY SUCH CLERICS ARE UNMASKED, UALLY BY STORI THE ITALIAN PRS. IN 2010, FOR THE BETTER PART OF A MONTH, ONE STRAIGHT JOURNALIST PRETEND TO BE THE BOYIEND OF A GAY MAN WHO ACTED AS A “HONEYPOT” AND ENTRAPPED ACTUAL GAY PRITS VAR SEXUAL SUATNS. (THE RDAL VIR OF ROME WAS GIVEN THE TASK OF VTIGATG. THE PRITS’ FAT ARE UNKNOWN.)THERE ARE AT LEAST A FEW GAY RDALS, CLUDG ONE WHOSE LONG-TERM PARTNER IS A WELL-KNOWN MISTER A PROTTANT NOMATN. THERE IS THE NOTOR MONSIGNOR NICKNAMED “JSI,” WHO LIK TO VIS A PONTIFIL UNIVERSY AND PASS OUT HIS BS RD TO 25-YEAR-OLD NOVIC. (AMONG THE MONSIGNOR’S PICKUP L: “DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE BED OF JOHN XXIII?”) THERE’S THE SUPPOSEDLY STRAIGHT MAN WHO HAS A SECRET LIFE AS A GAY PROSTUTE ROME AND POSTS PHOTOGRAPHS ONLE OF THE NERMOST RRIDORS OF THE VATIN. WHETHER HE RECEIVED THIS PRIVILEGED ACCS OM SOME IEND OR FAY MEMBER, OR OM A CLIENT, IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY; TO SEE A KNOWN RENT BOY BLACK LEATHER ON A PRIVATE VATIN BALNY DO RAISE AN EYEBROW.THE VATIN HOLDS SECRETS SO TIGHTLY THAT N MAKE FORT MEA LOOK LIKE A SLOPPY DNK. YET DOZENS OF TERVIEWS WH CURRENT AND FORMER GAY PRITS, GAY MONKS, VETERAN VATIN JOURNALISTS, ITALIAN ARISTOCRATS, AND GAY MEN AT ROMAN GYMS, BARS, NIGHTCLUBS, SEX CLUBS, AND RTRANTS SUGGT THAT, RIVETG AS THE MORE GRAPHIC STORI ARE, THEY NVEY A LIMED PART OF THE REALY OF GAY CLERIL LIFE ROME. TO BE GAY THE VATIN IS NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCS, MARK OF BELONGG, OR SHORTCUT TO EROTIC TRIGUE. MOST BASILLY IS A SENTENCE OF ISOLATN. GAYS THE VATIN ARE CREATUR OF A CUTTHROAT BURECRACY WHOSE DOGMATIC WORLDVIEW NI OR NIGRAT THEIR OWN EXISTENCE. THEY LIVE A CLOSET THAT HAS NO DOOR. AMONG RECENT POP, BENEDICT MA THE MOST NCERTED EFFORT TO SHARPEN CHURCH DOCTRE ON HOMOSEXUALY, WHICH HE ONCE LLED “A MORE OR LS STRONG TENNCY ORRED TOWARD AN TRSIC MORAL EVIL.” HE TRIED TO CULL GAYS OM CLERIL RANKS, MOST NOTABLY 2005, WHEN MEN WH KNOWN “EP-SEATED HOMOSEXUAL TENNCI” WERE PROHIBED OM BEG ORDAED, EVEN IF THEY WERE CELIBATE.DENUNCIATN AND EXPOSURE HAVE MA GAY PRITS FIGUR OF FASCATN—THOUGH LS AS PEOPLE THAN AS SYMBOLS—PECIALLY TO THE SECULAR FAR LEFT AND THE RELIG FAR RIGHT. BOTH SIS FD THE CLERICS TO BE POLILLY EFUL. THE LEFT THEM TO LEVEL CHARG OF HYPOCRISY. THE RIGHT SE THEM AS A STA NEED OF REMOVAL. THEY ALL GOT A SHOCK LATE LAST JULY WHEN FRANCIS MA HIS FIRST DIRECT PUBLIC STATEMENT ABOUT GAY CLERICS SCE BEG POPE.DURG AN IMPROMPTU PRS NFERENCE ABOARD THE PAPAL JET, EN ROUTE OM R JANEIRO TO ROME AFTER HIS FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP, FRANCIS WAS ASKED ABOUT THE SO-LLED GAY LOBBY. HIS RPONSE, LIVERED WH SUAL HUMOR AND PUNCTUATED BY SHGS AND S, WAS AS FOLLOWS: “SO MUCH HAS BEEN WRTEN ABOUT THE GAY LOBBY. I STILL HAVEN’T N TO ANYONE THE VATIN WHO HAS SHOWN ME AN INTY RD WH ‘GAY’ ON .” HE PANTOMIMED HOLDG UP SUCH A RD HIS LEFT HAND AND THEN WENT ON: “WHEN YOU FD YOURSELF WH A PERSON LIKE THAT, YOU HAVE TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN THE FACT OF A PERSON BEG GAY AND THE FACT OF SOMEBODY FORMG A LOBBY. . . . IF A PERSON IS GAY AND IS SEARCHG FOR THE LORD AND HAS GOODWILL, WHO AM I TO JUDGE HIM?”MOST POPULARTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYTHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMBY BS LEVHE SPOKE THE WORDS WH A PALPABLE WARMTH, UNLIKE THE EMBATTLED, WARY TONE THAT OTHER POP HAVE ADOPTED. THIS MAY WELL HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TIME HISTORY THAT A POPE HAS PUBLICLY UTTERED THE TERM “GAY”—THE WORD THAT MOST MEN WHO FEEL ROMANTIC LOVE FOR OTHER MEN E TO SCRIBE THEMSELV—STEAD OF THE PATHOLOGIZG 19TH-CENTURY MEDIL TERM “HOMOSEXUAL.” THEN, A LENGTHY TERVIEW WH A JU JOURNAL, THE POPE WENT FURTHER, STATG THAT THE CHURCH’S MISTRY SHOULD NOT BE “OBSSED” WH A FEW DIVISIVE MORAL ISSU SUCH AS ABORTN AND GAY MARRIAGE. “WHEN GOD LOOKS AT A GAY PERSON, DO HE ENDORSE THE EXISTENCE OF THIS PERSON WH LOVE, OR REJECT AND NMN THIS PERSON?” THE POPE ASKED RHETORILLY. “WE MT ALWAYS NSIR THE PERSON.”EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELFTAL OF GAYS THE VATIN HAVE BEEN TOLD FOR MORE THAN A THOAND YEARS. POPE JOHN XII, WHO REIGNED OM 955 TO 964, WAS ACCED OF HAVG SEX WH MEN AND BOYS AND TURNG THE PAPAL PALACE “TO A WHOREHOE.” WHILE TRYG TO PERSUA A BBLER’S APPRENTICE TO HAVE SEX WH HIM, POPE BONIFACE VIII, WHO REIGNED OM 1294 TO 1303, WAS SAID TO HAVE ASSURED THE BOY THAT TWO MEN HAVG SEX WAS “NO MORE A S THAN BBG YOUR HANDS TOGETHER.” AFTER PL II, WHO REIGNED OM 1464 TO 1471, DIED OF A HEART ATTACK—WHILE FLAGRANTE LICTO WH A PAGE, ACRDG TO ONE MOR—HE WAS SUCCEED BY SIXT IV, WHO KEPT A NEPHEW AS HIS LOVER (AND MA THE NEPHEW A RDAL AT AGE 17). SOME SUCH STORI ARE BETTER SUBSTANTIATED THAN OTHERS. EVEN WHILE THEIR RELIABILY IS QUTNABLE, THEY MONSTRATE THAT PLAYG THE GAY RD (EVEN IF YOU YOURSELF ARE GAY) IS AN ANCIENT CURIAL TACTIC. “THERE ARE CLOSETED GAY PRITS WHO ARE VIPERS,” OBSERV THE THEOLOGIAN MARK D. JORDAN, THE THOR OF THE SILENCE OF SODOM: HOMOSEXUALY MORN CATHOLICISM. “THEY ARE REALLY POISONO PEOPLE, AND THEY WORK OUT THEIR OWN NER MONOLOGY BY GETTG TO POSNS POWER AND EXERCISG ” AGAST OTHER GAY MEN, WOMEN, AND ANYONE WHOM THEY PERCEIVE TO BE A THREAT. “ALONGSI THAT ARE SUFFERG PRITS WHO SEEM SCERE ALL THE WAY DOWN, WHO ARE TRYG TO BE FAHFUL TO GOD, AND ALSO TO TAKE RE OF PEOPLE AND CHANGE THE STUTN. THEY ARE THE ON WHO ARE ALWAYS FOTTEN, AND READ OUT OF THE STORY OM BOTH SIS.”THE CATHOLIC PRITHOOD’S NTEMPORARY GAY CULTURAL MEMORY BEGS THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST CENTURY. WHEN PL VI ASSUMED THE THRONE, 1963, BY ONE ACUNT HE TOOK HIS PAPAL NAME NOT OM ANY PRECSOR BUT OM A FORMER LOVER, A FILM ACTOR. THAT AT LEAST WAS THE NTENTN OF THE PROVOTIVE GAY FRENCH WRER ROGER PEYREFTE, WHOSE 1976 ALLEGATNS ABOUT PL VI ED SUCH A STIR THAT PL TOOK TO THE BALNY OF ST. PETER’S TO NOUNCE THE “HORRIBLE AND SLANRO” ACCATNS. PL LOOKED A LGHGSTOCK, AND THE CURIA LEARNED A LSON: BETTER TO IGNORE SUCH CHARG THAN TO AMPLIFY THEM BY NIAL.MEANWHILE, SOME GAY CLERICS WERE OUTGROWG THE “PARTICULAR IENDSHIPS” THAT HAD LONG BEEN PART OF MONASTIC LIFE AND JOG THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN. BY THE 1970S, THE CENTER OF GAY LIFE ROME WAS A CISG AREA LLED MONTE CAPRO, ON THE CAPOLE HILL. AT A SMALL PARTY OF GAY MONKS AND THEIR IENDS ROME LAST SUMMER, NVERSATN TURNED TO RELLECTNS OF THAT PLACE. “IT WAS LIKE S OWN LTLE CY,” ONE MONK REMEMBERED, “WH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE—EVERYONE OM SEMARIANS TO BISHOPS—AND THEN THERE WERE, NVENIENTLY, BH OFF TO THE SI.” THE FELLOW FEELG AT MONTE CAPRO WAS PROMISED BY THE AIR OF SECRECY AROUND THE PLACE. THE AREA WAS A TARGET FOR MUGGERS AND THIEV, WHO FIGURED RIGHTLY THAT CLERICS WOULD MAKE IAL VICTIMS BEE THEY HAD MUCH TO LOSE BY THE PUBLIC ACT OF PRSG CHARG. ONE GAY FORMER SEMARIAN RELLED A NIGHT WHEN THREE MEN BEAT HIM UP AND STOLE HIS WALLET WHILE NUMERO MEN THE CROWD PARK STOOD BY. LEFT BLOODIED BY THE THIEV, THE SEMARIAN HOLLERED AT THE BYSTANRS, “THERE’S THREE OF THEM AND 300 OF !”HE TOLD ME THIS STORY, WH S ECHO OF THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARAN— WHICH A TRAVELER IS ROBBED, BEATEN, AND LEFT BY THE SI OF THE ROAD, AND P MEN DO NOTHG TO HELP HIM—TO ILLTRATE THE EVERY-MAN-FOR-HIMSELF DYNAMIC OF ROME’S GAY CLERIL CULTURE. GAY CLERICS OFTEN FAIL TO HELP ONE ANOTHER, HE SAYS, FOR THE SAME REASON THAT NO ONE TRIED TO HELP HIM THE NIGHT THAT HE WAS ROBBED: SOLIDARY ENTAILS THE RISK OF BEG OUTED.“LA MALETTA”SELF-CENTEREDNS N BREED A SENSE OF ENTLEMENT. “A CERTA PART OF THE CLERGY FEELS THAT NO ONE WILL RE WHAT THEY DO IF THEY ARE DISCREET,” SAYS MAR POLI, A PROMENT ITALIAN JOURNALIST AND LONGTIME VATIN RRPONNT, AND THE THOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS ABOUT THE PAPACY AND THE CHURCH. IN 2000, POLI PUBLISHED A BOOK-LENGTH TERVIEW WH AN ANONYMO GAY PRIT, ENTLED LA CONFSNE, REPUBLISHED 2006 AS IO, PRETE GAY (I, GAY PRIT). “RUMORS ARE O.K., BUT NOT SNDAL,” POLI OBSERV.THERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF SNDAL, THOUGH. IN 2007, MONSIGNOR TOMMASO STENI MET A YOUNG MAN AN ONLE CHAT ROOM AND VED HIM TO HIS VATIN OFFICE, WHERE THEIR NVERSATN— WHICH STENI NIED THAT GAY SEX WAS A S, TOUCHED THE MAN’S LEG, AND SAID, “YOU’RE SO HOT”—WAS SECRETLY VIOTAPED AND THEN BROADST ON ITALIAN TELEVISN. (STENI TRIED TO PERSUA ITALIAN NEWSPAPERS THAT HE’D JT BEEN PLAYG ALONG ORR “TO STUDY HOW PRITS ARE ENSNARED” TO GAY SEX AS PART OF “A DIABOLIL PLAN BY GROUPS OF SATANISTS.” HE WAS SPEND OM HIS VATIN POSN.) IN 2006 A PRIT THE VATIN’S SECRETARIAT OF STATE JURED POLICE OFFICERS AND SMASHED TO POLICE RS DURG A HIGH-SPEED CHASE THROUGH A DISTRICT ROME KNOWN FOR TRANSSEXUALS AND PROSTUT. (THE PRIT WAS ACQUTED ON ALL CHARG AFTER CLAIMG THAT HE FLED BEE HE FEARED HE WAS BEG KIDNAPPED.) IN A 2010 VTIGATN OF NTRACT FIXG FOR NSTCTN PROJECTS, ITALIAN POLICE WIRETAPS HAPPENED TO TCH A PAPAL HER AND GENTLEMAN OF HIS HOLS, ANGELO BALDUCCI, ALLEGEDLY HIRG MALE PROSTUT, SOME OF WHOM MAY HAVE BEEN SEMARIANS, THROUGH A NIGERIAN MEMBER OF A VATIN CHOIR. (THE CHOIR MEMBER WAS DISMISSED; BALDUCCI WAS NVICTED ON RPTN CHARG.)POPE BENEDICT WAS MORED TO HAVE ORRED THAT PRELAT WHO WERE LIVG DOUBLE LIV BE RETIRED OR REMOVED OM ROME. MAR POLI SPECULAT THAT PERHAPS AS MANY AS 30 WERE EASED OUT. THE MOST SENR PRELATE TO LOSE HIS JOB WAS CARDAL KEH O’BRIEN, THE ARCHBISHOP OF ST. ANDREWS AND EDBURGH. A STNCH OPPONENT OF GAY MARRIAGE WHO HAD PUBLICLY LLED HOMOSEXUALY A “MORAL GRADATN,” O’BRIEN WAS BROUGHT DOWN FEBARY BY THREE PRITS AND ONE EX-PRIT WHO ACCED HIM OF “APPROPRIATE NTACT” AND PREDATORY BEHAVR WHEN HE WAS THEIR BISHOP. THE EPISOS REUNTED BY THE FOUR MEN VOLVED SUCH NSISTENT PATTERNS OVER MORE THAN 30 YEARS THAT SOME OF O’BRIEN’S LLEAGU SURELY MT HAVE HAD THEIR SPICNS. WHEN I ASKED ONE ARCHBISHOP IF HE HAD KNOWN THAT O’BRIEN WAS GAY, HOWEVER, THE ARCHBISHOP SAID HE HAD NOT. WHEN I ASKED THE ARCHBISHOP WHO AMONG THE OTHER RDALS WERE O’BRIEN’S CLOST IENDS, HE LDLY ANSWERED, “I DON’T THK HE HAD ANY.” EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF, ED.EVEN BENEDICT HAS BEEN DOGGED BY MORS THAT HE IS GAY. THOUGH NO SOLID EVINCE HAS EVER EMERGED, IS TREATED AS MON KNOWLEDGE BY MANY ROME, WHO CE STEREOTYP GALORE, CLUDG HIS FSY FASHN SENSE (HIS BY-RED SLIPPERS, HIS “VALENTO RED” P); HIS CSA TO NAIL DOWN WHY “HOMOSEXUAL ACTNS” ARE “TRSILLY DISORRED” (MANY CLOSETED GAY MEN, OM ROY COHN TO CARDAL O’BRIEN, HAVE MA THE MOST EXTRAORDARY EFFORTS TO NMN HOMOSEXUALY); AND HIS BROMANCE WH ARCHBISHOP GE GäNSWE, HIS LONGTIME PERSONAL SECRETARY. (NICKNAMED BEL GRG, OR “GEO GEE,” THE GGED GäNSWE SKIS, PLAYS TENNIS, AND PILOTS AIRPLAN. HE SPIRED DONATELLA VERSACE’S WTER 2007 “CLERGYMAN LLECTN.”) PERHAPS THE MOST VIC OF BENEDICT’S NICKNAM IS “LA MALETTA.” THE WORD MEANS “CURSED” ITALIAN, BUT THE PUN RIV OM THE FACT THAT THE TERM MEANS THE EXACT OPPOSE OF BENEDICT’S OWN NAME ITALIAN, BENETTO, WHICH MEANS “BLSED”—WH A GENR CHANGE ACHIEVED THE PROCS.NEHER BENEDICT NOR GäNSWE HAS PUBLICLY RPOND TO ANY OF THIS. THE CHATTER’S MA NSEQUENCE HAS BEEN NOT TO HURT THEM PERSONALLY (THOUGH SURELY MT, AT LEAST A LTLE) BUT TO HELP LOCK DOWN GENUE NVERSATN ABOUT THE EVERYDAY LIV OF GAY PRITS, WHETHER CELIBATE OR NOT. IT IS MORE OR LS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GAY CLERICS TO ARTICULATE THEIR AFFECTNS ANY WAY THAT DO NOT AMOUNT TO WHAT AN ANGLO-SAXON MD MIGHT SEE AS HYPOCRISY. YET SUCH A DUALISTIC EXISTENCE IS VERY MUCH A PART OF CHURCH TRADN. “THIS IS ALMOST AN ASPECT OF THE CATHOLIC RELIGN SELF,” COLM TóIBíN HAS WRTEN AN SAY ON GAYS AND CATHOLICISM, “THIS BS OF KNOWG AND NOT KNOWG SOMETHG ALL AT THE SAME TIME, KEEPG AN ILLN SEPARATE OM THE TTH.” IT IS ALSO TYPIL OF ITALIAN SEXUALY GENERAL, AND ITALIAN HOMOSEXUALY PARTICULAR. THIS IS THE UNTRY THAT TOLERATED THE SEXUAL PAS AND SERIAL DS OF FORMER PRIME MISTER SILV BERLNI WH SRCELY A HT OF PROTT OM THE HIERARCHY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THIS IS THE UNTRY WHERE UNTLS MARRIED WOMEN IGNORE THEIR HBANDS’ DALLIANC WH MEN.LA BELLA FIGURATHE CULTURE OF CEPTN OPERAT ACRDG TO SIGNALS AND NVENTNS BY WHICH GAY CLERICS NAVIGATE THEIR LIV. CAMP IS PERHAPS THE MOST POWERFUL AND PERVASIVE OF THE S, THOUGH N BE DIFFICULT TO FE. IRONIC, EFFEMATE SELF-MOCKERY—ALLOWG PRITS TO EXERCISE SOME LIMED REBELLN AGAST THEIR OWN ISOLATN AND VISIBILY—IS ONE FORM OF CLERIL MP. FOR FEAR OF LGHG OUT LOUD, PRITS SOMETIM TRY TO AVOID MAKG EYE NTACT WH ONE ANOTHER CHURCH WHEN HYMNS WH TL LIKE “HAIL, HOLY QUEEN” ARE SUNG. AFTER BERGOGL BEME POPE FRANCIS, YOUTUBE CLIPS OF A SEQUENCE OM FELLI’S ROMA WENT VIRAL AMONG GAY PRITS ROME. IT SHOWS A PLA-LOOKG RDAL WATCHG A NWAY SHOW OF OVER-THE-TOP CLERIL ATTIRE—WHICH ENDS WHEN THE PARTED POPE STEALS THE SHOW BY APPEARG THE GLOR GARB OF A SUN GOD.ONE GAY FORMER PRIT, WHO STILL LIV ROME, SCRIB CLERIL MP AS “A NATURAL WAY OF EXPRSG [GAY INTY] WHILE CELIBATE.” SOCIALLY, HE SAYS, IS “A KEY THAT UNLOCKS A FURTHER ELEMENT OF TST.” THERE’S NOTHG EARTH-SHATTERG ABOUT THIS—’S WHAT EVERY STUTN DO—BUT “THE CHURCH HAS A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE AT PROTECTG SELF. AS FAR AS THAT GO,” HE SAYS, WH A NOD TO COLE PORTER, “THEY’RE THE TOPS.”WHEN THIS FORMER PRIT BEGAN HIS TN ROME, A PROFSOR TOLD HIM, “THERE SHOULDN’T BE A SUBCULTURE. WE ARE ALL MALE HERE, SO ’S APPROPRIATE TO SAY ‘HER’ OR TO REFER TO OTHER MEN WH FEME PRONOUNS.” THE FORMER PRIT SAYS THAT “NONE OF THIS STCTN WAS ABOUT OUR BEHAVR. IT WAS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD APPEAR.” HE BELIEV THAT SUCH STCTN ILLTRAT A LTLE-NOTED CHANGE OFFICIAL THKG ABOUT CATHOLIC INTY, AND WHAT SHOULD BE AT S CENTER. “THE SYMBOLS OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE THE SACRAMENTS,” SUCH AS THE EUCHARIST, HE ARGU, BUT OVER TIME THE PEOPLE WHO ADMISTER THE SACRAMENTS HAVE E TO DISPLACE THEM PROMENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, “THE PRITS BEE THE SYMBOLS” THAT ARE EMED MOST IMPORTANT. WHICH TURN PUTS A PREMIUM ON OUTWARD APPEARANCE AND ENFORC NFORMY TO A CERTA OFFICIAL IAL. THE CHURCH, THEREFORE, IS CREASGLY PREOCCUPIED WH MAKG SURE S LEARS ARE GROOMED OM AMONG “BOYS WHO LOOK HOLY: PLAYG DRS-UP AT THE AMERIN COLLEGE AND GOG DOWN TO PIAZZA NAVONA AT NE P.M. TO SAY THEIR BREVIARI.” SACRAMENTS AND LURGY, THE FORMER PRIT SAYS, ARE “THE KERNEL OF WHAT MAK THE CHURCH IMPORTANT. THIS IS WHAT MAK POWERFUL. NOT THE PROTECTN OF MEDIEVAL STUTNS.”YET THE CHURCH, AS ITALIAN SOCIETY, ’S OFTEN THE SE THAT RIGHT APPEARANCE—LA BELLA FIGURA—IS ALL. IN EVERY TAIL, PARTI CELEBRATG APPOTMENT TO THE VATIN AND OTHER HIGH CHURCH OFFIC N BE LAVISH—“LIKE A POSH GIRL’S WEDDG”—WH MANY CLERICS ATTENDANCE BEG “GAY MEN WEARG EVERYTHG HANDMA, PERFECT, QUEER AS ,” OBSERV ONE PROMENT FIGURE THE ROMAN ART WORLD. BUT LA BELLA FIGURA MATTERS JT AS MUCH AT ORDARY MOMENTS. ESPECIALLY FOR CLERICS WHO BREAK THE VOW OF CELIBACY, IS CCIAL TO KEEP UP APPEARANC THE NORMAL URSE OF LIFE.GAY SNAS ARE GOOD PLAC TO MEET OTHER GAY PRITS AND MONKS. THE BT TIM TO FD CLERICS AT THE SNAS ARE LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENG ON THURSDAYS (WHEN PONTIFIL UNIVERSI HAVE NO CLASS) OR SUNDAYS (AFTER MASS). SOME GAY CELIBATE CLERICS E THE SNAS NOT FOR SEX BUT TO EXPERIENCE A SENSE OF FELLOWSHIP WH OTHERS LIKE THEMSELV. ONE LLS HIS SNA VISS “SOMETHG TO NFIRM MYSELF AS I AM.” (ROME HAS FEW GAY BARS, AND JOHN MOSS, THE AMERIN OWNER OF THE LARGT AND OLST ONE, THE HANGAR, SAYS THAT THE RISE OF INTER CISG, BED WH THE VATIN’S CRACKDOWN ON GAY PRITS, HAS CIMATED HIS GAY CLERIL CLIENTELE. “THERE ED TO BE SO MANY SEMARIANS—SUCH BETIFUL MEN—WHO ME TO THE BAR, AND WE WOULD EVEN GET HIRED TO TAKE PARTI TO THEM SOME OF THE RELIG HO. NOW THERE’S NOBODY.”)ONCE YOU MAKE A NNECTN, ’S POSSIBLE TO E YOUR MONASTERY CELL FOR SEXUAL ASSIGNATNS, AS LONG AS YOU DON’T MAKE MUCH NOISE. “YOU N SNEAK PEOPLE , NO PROBLEM,” ONE GAY MONK SAYS, “BUT TRY TO AVOID NSISTENT PATTERNS OF MOVEMENT.” IN OTHER WORDS, DON’T VE A GUY OVER ON THE SAME DAY OF THE WEEK, OR AT THE SAME TIME OF DAY, VERY OFTEN. THAT SAID, “NO ONE HAS SEX” WH OTHER RINTS OF HIS OWN MONASTERY, A FORMER MONK TOLD ME, “BEE IS LIKE A BIG BROTHER HOE. EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYTHG.”THE MORE SENR THE CLERIC, THE MORE LIKELY HE MAY BE TO PLAY LOOSE WH THE L. ONE LEADG VATIN REPORTER (WHO SAYS THAT, AMONG JOURNALISTS ON THE BEAT, THE TWO MOST MON TOPICS FOR GOSSIP ABOUT CHURCH OFFICIALS ARE “WHO’S GAY AND WHO’S ON THE TAKE”) SCRIB THE LOGIC OF SUCH BEHAVR. “EVERYTHG IS PERMTED BEE YOU ARE A PRCE OF THE URT,” HE SAYS. “IF YOU ARE TLY LOYAL AND ENTSTED WH THE HIGHT LEVEL OF RPONSIBILY, THERE HAS TO BE AN EXTRA LIBERTY ATTACHED ORR TO BE ABLE TO PULL OFF.”VOWS OF CELIBACY DON’T SAY ANYTHG ABOUT EYE NDY. SOME CURIA OFFICIALS ARE SAID TO HANDPICK EXTREMELY HANDSOME MEN FOR MENIAL JOBS ORR TO MAKE VATIN CY MORE SCENIC. A LAYMAN I KNOW WHOSE JOB REQUIR EQUENT TRIPS TO THE VATIN ED TO ENJOY FLIRTG WH A MCULAR GO-GO BOY WHO DANCED ON THE BAR AT A GAY NIGHTCLUB ROME. ONE DAY AT THE VATIN, THIS LAYMAN WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE DANCER OUT OF NTEXT, DRSED THE UNIFORM OF A SECURY GUARD. WHEN HE MA TO GREET THE MAN, THE GUARD SIGNALED HIM TO STAY BACK, RAISG A FGER TO HIS LIPS A QUIET “SHHHHH … ”WHERE SILENCE N’T STRICTLY BE KEPT, WORD GAM N PARTMENTALIZE THE TTH. IN THE VATIN OFFICE OF A MONSIGNOR WHO I’D BEEN TOLD MIGHT HAVE SOME FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE NCERNG RECENT GAY SNDALS THE CHURCH, I ASKED, POT-BLANK, “ARE YOU GAY?,” AND HE SERENELY ANSWERED, “NO.” I REPLIED, “I WONR, IF A PRIT IS HOMOSEXUAL—BUT DO NOT PARTICIPATE MASTREAM SECULAR GAY CULTURE—ULD HE SAY THAT HE IS NOT ‘GAY’ AND STILL THK HE’S TELLG THE TTH?” “WHAT AN TERTG QUTN,” THE MONSIGNOR SAID, IMMEDIATELY STANDG UP AND GTURG ME TO THE DOOR. “I’M AAID I DON’T HAVE ANY MORE TIME TO TALK.” HE SISTED ON PERSONALLY WALKG ME OUT OF THE BUILDG, AND AS WE PASSED ALONG A GRAND HALLWAY I REMARKED UPON S BETY. “I DON’T SEE ,” HE REPLIED ARCHLY. “TO ME, OTHER HALLWAYS ARE ‘BETIFUL.’ ” WAS THIS AN NOCENT REMARK, OR A D ANSWER TO MY QUTN? SOMETIM TALKG TO GAY PRITS FEELS LIKE READG STORI BY B.FOR THOSE WHO WANT , ANIZED WORKS N PROVI SOME GROUNDG. A FEW SMALL GROUPS OF GAY CATHOLICS ROME OPERATE PUBLICLY, BUT BEE ANYONE N E TO THEIR MEETGS, N BE RISKY FOR PRITS, PECIALLY VATIN OFFICIALS, TO BE PART OF THEM. ONE PRIVATE GROUP OF ABOUT 50 GAY PRITS AND LAYMEN MEETS ONCE A YEAR, FOR A KD OF RETREAT. A VATIN PRIT I MET WH—HE ACTUALLY VED ME TO STOP BY HIS OFFICE NEAR ST. PETER’S BEE HE SAID HE WANTED “TO SHOW THAT THIS IS NO SECRET,” THOUGH ’S SECRET ENOUGH THAT HE N’T BE NAMED—IS VOLVED WH THIS GROUP, AS PART OF AN UNOFFICIAL MISTRY ADDN TO HIS OFFICIAL DUTI. HE SAYS THAT HIS SUPERRS, CLUDG AT LEAST ONE VERY PROMENT VATIN OFFICIAL, HAVE LONG KNOWN HE IS GAY, AND HAVE EVEN PROMOTED HIM SCE LEARNG THAT FACT.YET GAYS THE VATIN, LIKE SPI TELLIGENCE SERVIC, HAB BOX WH BOX. THE PRIT WHO HELPS WH THE GROUP OF 50 RAISED HIS EYEBROWS WHEN I REPEATED TO HIM SOMETHG AN ARCHBISHOP HAD TOLD ME. “I KNOW A PRIT WHO MISTERS TO PEOPLE THE CURIA THAT SUATN,” THE ARCHBISHOP SAID, THOUGH “HE IS NOT ASSIGNED OFFICIALLY.”MOST POPULARTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYTHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMBY BS LEV“THAT IS NOT ME,” THE PRIT SAID, AMAZED. “I WONR WHO ULD BE.”DON’T ASK, DON’T TELLAS YOU WOULD EXPECT, THE PRIT I MET THE SNA LOOKS RATHER DIFFERENT WH VTMENTS ON. WHEN I WALKED TO CHURCH A FEW DAYS LATER, FOR SUNDAY-MORNG MASS, HE WAS THE CELEBRANT—EVEN THOUGH, WHEN WE MET, HE HAD SAID HE WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE TOWN. MAYBE HIS PLANS HAD CHANGED AGA.HE WAS PREACHG A HOY ON THE GOSPEL READG, THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARAN. THE PRIT TOLD THE NGREGATN THAT THIS STORY WAS A CHALLENGE. A CHALLENGE TO ACCEPT “RISK FAVOR OF PASSN.” A CHALLENGE TO “LOOK MORE EPLY AT ‘WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?’ ” A CHALLENGE TO BE GENERO, UNLIKE “THE RELIG, SPIRUAL PERSON WHO DID NOTHG TO HELP.” LISTENG TO THE WORDS, I ULD NOT HELP BUT WONR: WHERE, THAT PARABLE, DO THIS PRIT SEE HIMSELF?FROM THE DAY AFTER THE NCLAVE END—WHEN FRANCIS WENT BACK TO HIS HOTEL AND PERSONALLY CHECKED OUT, PAID HIS BILL, AND PICKED UP HIS SUSE—THE NEW POPE HAS SURPRISED PEOPLE WH HIS ACTNS. DURG HOLY WEEK, HE WENT TO A JUVENILE PRISON AND WASHED THE FEET OF MAT, CLUDG TWO GIRLS AND TWO MLIMS. ONE MORNG, HE REPORTEDLY MA A SANDWICH FOR THE SWISS GUARD WHO HAD STOOD SENTEL OUTSI HIS ROOM ALL NIGHT. HE VED 200 HOMELS PEOPLE FOR DNER THE VATIN GARNS.FRANCIS HAS ALSO SAID SOME THGS THAT, OM A POPE’S MOUTH, SEEM EXTRAORDARY SIMPLY BEE THEY ARE SO DOWN TO EARTH—LIKE HIS CHOICE TO END ONE HOY WH THE UNTRADNAL EXHORTATN “HAVE A GOOD LUNCH!” YET THE FIRST TIME THIS POPE’S WORDS, RATHER THAN HIS ACTNS, MA SIGNIFINT HEADL WAS NNECTN WH HIS MENTS ABOUT THE “GAY LOBBY.”AS NOTED, THE PHRASE FIRST GAED CURRENCY BEFORE FRANCIS ME ON THE SCENE, BUT RETURNED TO PUBLIC DISCSN JT AS HE GOT SER ABOUT WHAT MAY BE A HALLMARK OF HIS PAPACY: A CLEANUP OF VATIN RPTN. THE SPE OF HIS NCERN ABOUT ABE OF POWER SEEMS TOTAL. HE IS REFORMG EVERYTHG OM THE VATIN BANK’S BOOKKEEPG TO THE NTENTS OF THE PAPAL WARDROBE.FOR A LONG TIME, GAY PRITS HAVE MA FOR NVENIENT SPEGOATS AND HANDY PAWNS CHURCH POWER GAM. ALL OF THEM, WHETHER ACTIVELY OR PASSIVELY, HAVE HELPED CREATE THE ROL FOR THEMSELV, AND THEY N HARDLY IMAGE A DIFFERENT REALY—UNLS THEY WERE TO EMERGE OM THE CLOSET AND GET THROWN OUT OF THE PRITHOOD. ONE MONK TOLD ME, “A LOT OF WILL NOT NMN. BUT NOT SPEAK OUT. WE’RE A SYSTEM THAT NTROLS . THE LONGER YOU’RE , THE MORE NTROLS, THE MORE YOU ASSUME THE CLERIL POSN.” THEY KEEP HOPE SMALL, OR SNUFF ENTIRELY. THEY BELIEVE THAT NOTHG AND NO ONE ULD MAKE THE CHURCH SAFE FOR THEM. MIGHT THIS CHANGE? “NOT MY LIFETIME,” THEY ALL SAY.YET, BEFORE HE BEME FRANCIS, JE BERGOGL WAS A JU. AS *NATNAL CATHOLIC REPORTER’*S JOHN ALLEN, THE AN OF THE AMERIN VATIN-WATCHERS, TOLD ME, “THERE’S A KD OF CATHOLIC VERSN OF ‘DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL’ THAT THE JUS WOULD BE PARTICULARLY NOTED FOR. THERE ARE GUYS THE JU WORLD THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS ARE GAY, BUT THEY DON’T GO AROUND MAKG A BIG AL OUT OF .” WHILE POPE BENEDICT’S VATIN ATTEMPTED TO MAKE SURE GAYS KNEW THEY WERE UNWELE THE PRITHOOD, THE JUS VELOPED A REPUTATN FOR TOLERATG AND EVEN PROTECTG THEIR GAY BRETHREN.IN THE LLEGIAL JU SPIR, FRANCIS APPOTED EIGHT RDALS TO SERVE AS HIS RE ADVISERS ON SIGNIFINT ISSU, AND THE G YEARS, THIS GROUP MAY HAVE AS MUCH FLUENCE ON THE SUATN OF GAYS THE PRITHOOD AS FRANCIS HIMSELF. WHEN I ASKED AN ARCHBISHOP HOW HE THKS THE RDALS’ NVERSATN ABOUT THEIR GAY BROTHERS WILL GO, HE ANSWERED WH REFERENCE NOT TO THE HOLY SPIR BUT TO THE GOD OF FORTUNE. “RIGHT NOW THE SURT THG I N SAY IS THAT THERE’S CHANGE THE AIR,” HE SAID. “IF YOU ULD SAY WHAT WILL HAPPEN, YOU ULD SAY WHO’D W THE LOTTERY.”THE NEXT TIME I HEARD MENTN OF A LOTTERY WAS A FEW DAYS LATER, AT DNER WH A GAY MONK WHO TOLD ME THAT HE HAD RECENTLY FALLEN LOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WH A MAN. “AM I A CLERIL HYPOCRE? I GUS ONE WAY I AM,” HE SAID, THE MIDDLE OF A LONG AND EMOTNAL NARRATIVE, BEFORE BRGG THE NVERSATN TO BEDROCK REALY. “BUT I’M OVER 60. I HAVE NOTHG FANCIALLY. I N’T LEAVE.” AND THEN HE SAID, “IF I WON THE POWERBALL LOTTO, I WOULD LEAVE.”NOTE: AN ALTERATN WAS MA THE PASSAGE ABOUT MAR POLI’S LA CONFSNE, REPUBLISHED AS IO, PRETE GAY, ORR TO GIVE A MORE ACCURATE SCRIPTN OF THE BOOK.MICHAEL JOSEPH GROSS
• WHAT ABOUT ‘GAY’ PRITS?
• WHY ARE SO MANY OF THE CLERGY GAY?
• UNED METHODIST CHURCH ANNOUNC PROPOSAL TO SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE
• AS CATHOLIC SEX ABE CRISIS DEEPENS, CONSERVATIVE CIRCL BLAME GAY PRITS
• THE ANGLIN CHURCH’S ‘KICK THE GUTS’ TO GAY PARISHNERS
• GAY LAVENR MAFIA THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
• ST. LE'S, OTHER CHURCH, TO EX UNED METHODISTS OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, GAY CLERGY
• “IN THOSE DAYS, YOU DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THOSE KD OF THGS”. ROB HALFORD'S REACTN TO BEG METAL’S FIRST GAY IN
• AMID CHARG OF SLIPPERY SLOPE LIBERALISM, PRBYTERIAN CHURCH AMERI DRAFTS A POTENT POLICY AGAST GAY CLERGY
• CATHOLIC PRITS: IT'S 'EMPIRIL FACT' THAT MANY CLERGY ARE GAY
• TOP U.S. CATHOLIC CHURCH OFFICIAL RIGNS AFTER CELLPHONE DATA ED TO TRACK HIM ON GRDR AND TO GAY BARS
• UNED METHODIST CHURCH THAT OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE AND CLERGY WILL BREAK AWAY, FORM NEW RELIG GROUP: ‘WE ME TO AN IMPASSE THAT N’T BE BRIDGED’

FOUR FIVE VATIN PRITS ARE GAY, BOOK CLAIMS

Some of the most senr clerics the Roman Catholic church who have vociferoly attacked homosexualy are themselv gay, acrdg to a book to be published next per cent of prits workg at the Vatin are gay, although not necsarily sexually active, is claimed the book, In the Closet of the 570-page book, which the French journalist and thor Frédéric Martel spent four years rearchg, is a “startlg acunt of rptn and hypocrisy at the heart of the Vatin”, acrdg to s Brish publisher is beg published eight languag across 20 untri next Wednday, cidg wh the openg day of a nference at the Vatin on sexual abe, to which bishops om all over the world have been, a former adviser to the French ernment, nducted 1, 500 terviews while rearchg the book, cludg wh 41 rdals, 52 bishops and monsignors, 45 papal ambassadors or diplomatic officials, 11 Swiss guards and more than 200 prits and semarians, acrdg to a report on the Catholic webse the spoke of an unspoken of the “closet”, wh one le of thumb beg that the more homophobic a cleric was, the more likely he was to be alleg that one Colombian rdal, the late Alfonso López Tjillo, who held a senr Vatin posn, was an arch-fenr of church teachg on homosexualy and ntraceptn while g male prostut, the Tablet thor found that some gay prits accepted their sexualy and a few mataed discreet relatnships, but others sought high-risk sual enunters. ”But a Polish prit who was sacked om his Vatin job and ocked after announcg he was gay has acced the church of makg the liv of lns of gay Catholics “a hell” a letter to Francis 2015, Krzysztof Charamsa cricised what he lled the Vatin’s hypocrisy banng gay prits and said the clergy was “full of homosexuals” December, Francis was quoted a book about votns as sayg homosexualy was a “fashn” to which the clergy was sceptible. In our societi even seems that homosexualy is fashnable and that mentaly, some way, also fluenc the life of the church, ” he timg of Insi the Closet’s publitn, at the start of a tone summ on sexual abe, will raise ncerns that some people may seek to nflate the two the book’s allegatns are likely to be pored over by senr bishops flyg to Rome om more than 100 untri for the four-day summ.

A church that, sce 2005, bans prits wh “ep-seated homosexual tennci” and officially teach that gay men are “objectively disorred” and herently disposed toward “trsic moral evil” is actually posed, ways very few other stutns are, of gay men. This cultural and moral shift has not only changed the nscns of most Amerin Catholics (67 percent of whom support civil marriage for gay upl) and gay prits (many of whom are close to qutg) but also broken the silence that long shroud the subject. Alarmed by the possibily that divorced and remarried people might be weled as well as gays, tradnalists lnched a fierce rearguard mpaign agast the new papacy, wh a foc on what some lled a “Lavenr Mafia” nng the church, and broke new ground nnectg this directly to the horrifyg revelatns of sex abe that me to light 2002.

” Michael Hichborn, head of the ge-right Lepanto Instute, lled for a “plete and thorough removal of all homosexual clergymen om the church … It is gog to be difficult and will likely rult a very ser prit shortage, but ’s fely worth the effort. At one pot as we spoke the next day the hospal, he was greeted by a woman who asked for an on-the-spot nfsn and he shooed me asi; later I met an anguished gay man om an ultra-Catholic fay he was unselg; and for a few hours on Sunday morng, he was wh the wife and teenage sons of a dyg man.

THE GAY CHURCH

For example, as the late historian John Boswell monstrated his groundbreakg, ntroversial book Christiany, Social Tolerance, and Homosexualy, a fourth-century Christian wrer, John Chrysostom, attacked the lears of the church for beg too acceptg of same-sex love and even sex: “Those very people who have been nourished by godly doctre, who stct others what they ought and ought not to do … the do not nsort wh prostut as fearlsly as they do wh young men … None is ashamed, no one blh … the chaste seem to be the odd on, and the disapprovg the on error.

‘IT IS NOT A CLOSET. IT IS A CAGE.’ GAY CATHOLIC PRITS SPEAK OUT

Carl Jung intified the archetypal gifts of the homosexual: “a great pacy for iendship, which often creat ti of astonishg tenrns between men”; a talent for teachg, athetics, and tradn (“to be nservative the bt sense and cherish the valu of the past”); “a wealth of relig feelgs, which help to brg the ecclia spirualis to realy; and a spirual receptivy which mak him rponsive to revelatn.

He was also the theologian who monstrated a manic sire to police the slightt viatn om orthodoxy, who scribed gay people as “objectively disorred” and cled toward an “trsic moral evil, ” and who, after he banned gay prits, lled them “one of the miseri of the church.

GAY PRITS: BREAKG THE SILENCE

”The sexual revolutn happeng outsi semary walls might as well have happened on the moon, and natnal ton the fight for gay rights, like the Stonewall rts, on prit a ral dce said the l remd him of how his elementary school forced left-hand stunts to wre wh their right hand. "Their place is not mistry or nsecrated life, " he Jam Mart, a Ju prit and thor, and the most high-profile advote for LGBTQ Catholics, said, "I thk that if you had sudnly all the gay prits the Uned Stat e out, I thk the Church would be forced to look at the qutn of homosexualy a very different light. Bernatte Catholic Parish, Milwkee, Jam Mart on Twter"In the Closet of the Vatin: Power, Homosexualy, Hypocrisy" by Frédéric Martel (Bloomsbury Contuum), Hardver, Tra Paperback, eBook and Aud formats, available via Amazon and Indiebound Story produced by Sari Aviv and Anna Matranga.

”He told me this story, wh s echo of the parable of the Good Samaran— which a traveler is robbed, beaten, and left by the si of the road, and p men do nothg to help him—to illtrate the every-man-for-himself dynamic of Rome’s gay cleril culture. In 2007, Monsignor Tommaso Steni met a young man an onle chat room and ved him to his Vatin office, where their nversatn— which Steni nied that gay sex was a s, touched the man’s leg, and said, “You’re so hot”—was secretly viotaped and then broadst on Italian televisn. Though no solid evince has ever emerged, is treated as mon knowledge by many Rome, who ce stereotyp galore, cludg his fsy fashn sense (his by-red slippers, his “Valento red” p); his csa to nail down why “homosexual actns” are “trsilly disorred” (many closeted gay men, om Roy Cohn to Cardal O’Brien, have ma the most extraordary efforts to nmn homosexualy); and his bromance wh Archbishop Ge Gänswe, his longtime personal secretary.

It shows a pla-lookg rdal watchg a nway show of over-the-top cleril attire—which ends when the parted Pope steals the show by appearg the glor garb of a Sun gay former prit, who still liv Rome, scrib cleril mp as “a natural way of exprsg [gay inty] while celibate.

THE VATIN’S SECRET LIFEDPE HEADL ABOUT A POWERFUL “GAY LOBBY” WH THE VATIN, AND A NEW POPE PROMISG REFORM, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH’S GAY RDALS, MONKS, AND OTHER CLERGY HAB A HIDN HERWORLD. IN ROME, THE THOR LEARNS HOW THEY NAVIGATE THE DANGERO PARADOX OF THEIR LIV.BY MICHAEL JOSEPH GROSSNOVEMBER 15, 2013SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVENAKED BUT FOR THE TOWEL AROUND HIS WAIST, A MAN OF A CERTA AGE SAT BY HIMSELF, BENT SLIGHTLY FORWARD AS IF PRAYG, A RNER OF THE SNA AT A GYM CENTRAL ROME. I HAD NOT MET THIS MAN BEFORE, BUT AS I ENTERED THE SNA, I THOUGHT I REGNIZED HIM OM PHOTOGRAPHS. HE LOOKED LIKE A PRIT WH WHOM I’D RRPOND AFTER MUTUAL IENDS PUT TOUCH, A MAN I HAD WANTED TO NSULT ABOUT GAY CLERICS THE VATIN CURIA. MY IENDS TOLD ME THAT THIS PRIT WAS GAY, POLILLY SAVVY, AND WELL NNECTED TO THE GAY CHURCH HIERARCHY ROME.BUT THIS ULDN’T BE THAT PRIT. HE HAD TOLD ME THAT HE’D BE AWAY AND ULDN’T MEET. YET AS I LOOKED AT THE MAN MORE CLOSELY, I SAW THAT WAS FELY HIM. WHEN WE WERE ALONE, I SPOKE HIS NAME, TELLG HIM ME. “I THOUGHT YOU WERE OUT OF THE UNTRY,” I SAID. “HOW LUCKY FOR ME: YOU’RE HERE!” STARTLED, THE PRIT TALKED FAST. Y, HIS PLANS HAD CHANGED, HE SAID, BUT HE WAS LEAVG AGA THE NEXT DAY AND WOULD RETURN ONLY AFTER I WAS GONE.DURG THE PREV FEW DAYS, I HAD HEARD A LOT ABOUT THIS MAN. I HAD HEARD THAT HE IS A GOSSIP, A SOCIAL OPERATOR WHOSE LENDAR IS A BLUR OF DRKS AND DNERS WH RDALS AND ARCHBISHOPS, PRCIPSAS AND PERSONAL TRAERS. SUPPOSEDLY, HE LOV TO DISH MALE LLEAGU WH MPY FEMALE NICKNAM. BUT I WOULD NEVER HAVE THE EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND. THE PRIT WAS EMBARRASSED: TO HAVE BEEN CHANCED UPON AT THIS PLACE; TO HAVE HAD HIS SMALL EVASNS REVEALED. THE ENUNTER WAS AWKWARD. NO, HE DID NOT WISH TO DISCS THE SUBJECT I WAS TERTED . NO, HE DID NOT THK THE SUBJECT WORTHWHILE. THE THGS HE MA CLEAR. WE LEFT THE SNA AND, AFTER FURTHER NVERSATN, CIVIL BUT STILTED, WENT OUR SEPARATE WAYS.I ULD UNRSTAND HIS DISFORT. BUT ROME THE DAYS THE TOPIC OF GAY PRITS THE UPPER REACH OF THE HOLY SEE IS HARD TO AVOID. IN FEBARY OF THIS YEAR, NOT LONG BEFORE THE COLLEGE OF CARDALS GATHERED THE SISTE CHAPEL FOR THE NCLAVE TO CHOOSE THE 266TH POPE, THE LARGT ITALIAN DAILY NEWSPAPER, LA REPUBBLI, REPORTED THAT A “GAY LOBBY”—A MORE OR LS UNIFIED BAL OF HOMOSEXUAL POWER BROKERS—MIGHT BE OPERATG SI THE VATIN. ACRDG TO THE NEWSPAPER, THE POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF THIS GAY LOBBY WAS AMONG THE MANY SECRETS SCRIBED A TWO-VOLUME, 300-PAGE REPORT BOUND RED AND PRENTED TO POPE BENEDICT XVI BY THREE RDALS HE HAD APPOTED TO VTIGATE THE AFFAIR KNOWN AS “VATILEAKS.” THAT SNDAL, WHICH RAISED H SPICNS OF ENMIC RPTN WH THE CURIA, HAD BROKEN THE PREV YEAR AFTER PAOLO GABRIELE, THE PAPAL BUTLER, MA OFF WH SOME OF BENEDICT’S PRIVATE PAPERS AND LEAKED THEM TO THE PRS.THE TERNAL VATILEAKS REPORT, ACRDG TO LA REPUBBLI, DITED THAT GAY CLERICS THE VATIN WERE BEG BLACKMAILED. THE REPORT WAS ALSO SAID TO DOCUMENT THE ALLEGED GAY LOBBY’S SOCIAL STCTURE AND CTOMS. YET TAILS NCERNG GAY PRITS’ GATHERGS ADD UP TO OLD NEWS: THE TAL HAD BEEN TOLD ARTICL PREVLY PUBLISHED BY LA REPUBBLI SELF. SENSATNALLY, THE NEWSPAPER SUGGTED THAT BENEDICT’S NCERN ABOUT THE ALLEGED GAY LOBBY WAS ONE REASON HE HAD SUDNLY RIGNED THE PAPACY.MONTHS LATER, ANOTHER LEAK OF NFINTIAL RMATN BROUGHT THE SUBJECT OF A GAY LOBBY BACK TO THE NEWS. SOMEONE TOOK NOT DURG WHAT WAS MEANT TO BE A PRIVATE MEETG BETWEEN LAT-AMERIN CHURCH LEARS AND THE NEW POPE, THE FORMER RDAL JE BERGOGL, ARCHBISHOP OF BUENOS AIR, NOW KNOWN AS FRANCIS. IN JUNE, THOSE NOT WERE PUBLISHED ON A PROGRSIVE CATHOLIC WEB SE. FRANCIS WAS QUOTED AS SAYG, “THE ‘GAY LOBBY’ IS MENTNED, AND IS TE, IS THERE … WE NEED TO SEE WHAT WE N DO.”A CLOSET WH NO DOORGAY LOBBY? IT PENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN. THE TERM ULD REFER TO A SHADOWY GROUP LIKE THE ILLUMATI, WHOSE MEMBERS QUIETLY EXERCISE SUPREME POWER. THIS IS THE SORT OF IA THAT LIGHTS UP THE TIL HATS OF NSPIRACY THEORISTS, AND DON’T PTURE THE SLOW, FDAL, EFFICIENT WORKGS OF THE VATIN. “GAY LOBBY” IS REALLY SHORTHAND FOR SOMETHG ELSE. AT THE VATIN, A SIGNIFINT NUMBER OF GAY PRELAT AND OTHER GAY CLERICS ARE POSNS OF GREAT THORY. THEY MAY NOT ACT AS A LLECTIVE BUT ARE AWARE OF ONE ANOTHER’S EXISTENCE. AND THEY HAB A SECRETIVE HERWORLD, BEE HOMOSEXUALY IS OFFICIALLY NMNED. THOUGH THE NUMBER OF GAY PRITS GENERAL, AND SPECIFILLY AMONG THE CURIA ROME, IS UNKNOWN, THE PROPORTN IS MUCH HIGHER THAN THE GENERAL POPULATN. BETWEEN 20 AND 60 PERCENT OF ALL CATHOLIC PRITS ARE GAY, ACRDG TO ONE TIMATE CED BY DONALD B. COZZENS HIS WELL-REGARD THE CHANGG FACE OF THE PRITHOOD. FOR GAY CLERICS AT THE VATIN, ONE FUNDAMENTAL NDN OF THEIR POWER, AND OF THEIR PRITHOOD, IS SILENCE, AT LEAST PUBLIC, ABOUT WHO THEY REALLY ARE.CLERICS HAB THIS SILENCE A VARIETY OF WAYS. A FEW KEEP THEIR SEXUALY ENTIRELY PRIVATE AND ADHERE TO THE VOW OF CELIBACY. MANY OTHERS QUIETLY LET THEMSELV BE KNOWN AS GAY TO A LIMED GREE, TO SOME LLEAGU, OR TO SOME LAYPEOPLE, OR BOTH; SOMETIM THEY REMA CELIBATE AND SOMETIM THEY DO NOT. A THIRD WAY, PERHAPS THE LEAST MON BUT CERTALY THE MOST VISIBLE, VOLV LIVG A DOUBLE LIFE. OCSNALLY SUCH CLERICS ARE UNMASKED, UALLY BY STORI THE ITALIAN PRS. IN 2010, FOR THE BETTER PART OF A MONTH, ONE STRAIGHT JOURNALIST PRETEND TO BE THE BOYIEND OF A GAY MAN WHO ACTED AS A “HONEYPOT” AND ENTRAPPED ACTUAL GAY PRITS VAR SEXUAL SUATNS. (THE RDAL VIR OF ROME WAS GIVEN THE TASK OF VTIGATG. THE PRITS’ FAT ARE UNKNOWN.)THERE ARE AT LEAST A FEW GAY RDALS, CLUDG ONE WHOSE LONG-TERM PARTNER IS A WELL-KNOWN MISTER A PROTTANT NOMATN. THERE IS THE NOTOR MONSIGNOR NICKNAMED “JSI,” WHO LIK TO VIS A PONTIFIL UNIVERSY AND PASS OUT HIS BS RD TO 25-YEAR-OLD NOVIC. (AMONG THE MONSIGNOR’S PICKUP L: “DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE BED OF JOHN XXIII?”) THERE’S THE SUPPOSEDLY STRAIGHT MAN WHO HAS A SECRET LIFE AS A GAY PROSTUTE ROME AND POSTS PHOTOGRAPHS ONLE OF THE NERMOST RRIDORS OF THE VATIN. WHETHER HE RECEIVED THIS PRIVILEGED ACCS OM SOME IEND OR FAY MEMBER, OR OM A CLIENT, IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY; TO SEE A KNOWN RENT BOY BLACK LEATHER ON A PRIVATE VATIN BALNY DO RAISE AN EYEBROW.THE VATIN HOLDS SECRETS SO TIGHTLY THAT N MAKE FORT MEA LOOK LIKE A SLOPPY DNK. YET DOZENS OF TERVIEWS WH CURRENT AND FORMER GAY PRITS, GAY MONKS, VETERAN VATIN JOURNALISTS, ITALIAN ARISTOCRATS, AND GAY MEN AT ROMAN GYMS, BARS, NIGHTCLUBS, SEX CLUBS, AND RTRANTS SUGGT THAT, RIVETG AS THE MORE GRAPHIC STORI ARE, THEY NVEY A LIMED PART OF THE REALY OF GAY CLERIL LIFE ROME. TO BE GAY THE VATIN IS NO GUARANTEE OF SUCCS, MARK OF BELONGG, OR SHORTCUT TO EROTIC TRIGUE. MOST BASILLY IS A SENTENCE OF ISOLATN. GAYS THE VATIN ARE CREATUR OF A CUTTHROAT BURECRACY WHOSE DOGMATIC WORLDVIEW NI OR NIGRAT THEIR OWN EXISTENCE. THEY LIVE A CLOSET THAT HAS NO DOOR. AMONG RECENT POP, BENEDICT MA THE MOST NCERTED EFFORT TO SHARPEN CHURCH DOCTRE ON HOMOSEXUALY, WHICH HE ONCE LLED “A MORE OR LS STRONG TENNCY ORRED TOWARD AN TRSIC MORAL EVIL.” HE TRIED TO CULL GAYS OM CLERIL RANKS, MOST NOTABLY 2005, WHEN MEN WH KNOWN “EP-SEATED HOMOSEXUAL TENNCI” WERE PROHIBED OM BEG ORDAED, EVEN IF THEY WERE CELIBATE.DENUNCIATN AND EXPOSURE HAVE MA GAY PRITS FIGUR OF FASCATN—THOUGH LS AS PEOPLE THAN AS SYMBOLS—PECIALLY TO THE SECULAR FAR LEFT AND THE RELIG FAR RIGHT. BOTH SIS FD THE CLERICS TO BE POLILLY EFUL. THE LEFT THEM TO LEVEL CHARG OF HYPOCRISY. THE RIGHT SE THEM AS A STA NEED OF REMOVAL. THEY ALL GOT A SHOCK LATE LAST JULY WHEN FRANCIS MA HIS FIRST DIRECT PUBLIC STATEMENT ABOUT GAY CLERICS SCE BEG POPE.DURG AN IMPROMPTU PRS NFERENCE ABOARD THE PAPAL JET, EN ROUTE OM R JANEIRO TO ROME AFTER HIS FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP, FRANCIS WAS ASKED ABOUT THE SO-LLED GAY LOBBY. HIS RPONSE, LIVERED WH SUAL HUMOR AND PUNCTUATED BY SHGS AND S, WAS AS FOLLOWS: “SO MUCH HAS BEEN WRTEN ABOUT THE GAY LOBBY. I STILL HAVEN’T N TO ANYONE THE VATIN WHO HAS SHOWN ME AN INTY RD WH ‘GAY’ ON .” HE PANTOMIMED HOLDG UP SUCH A RD HIS LEFT HAND AND THEN WENT ON: “WHEN YOU FD YOURSELF WH A PERSON LIKE THAT, YOU HAVE TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN THE FACT OF A PERSON BEG GAY AND THE FACT OF SOMEBODY FORMG A LOBBY. . . . IF A PERSON IS GAY AND IS SEARCHG FOR THE LORD AND HAS GOODWILL, WHO AM I TO JUDGE HIM?”MOST POPULARTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYTHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMBY BS LEVHE SPOKE THE WORDS WH A PALPABLE WARMTH, UNLIKE THE EMBATTLED, WARY TONE THAT OTHER POP HAVE ADOPTED. THIS MAY WELL HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TIME HISTORY THAT A POPE HAS PUBLICLY UTTERED THE TERM “GAY”—THE WORD THAT MOST MEN WHO FEEL ROMANTIC LOVE FOR OTHER MEN E TO SCRIBE THEMSELV—STEAD OF THE PATHOLOGIZG 19TH-CENTURY MEDIL TERM “HOMOSEXUAL.” THEN, A LENGTHY TERVIEW WH A JU JOURNAL, THE POPE WENT FURTHER, STATG THAT THE CHURCH’S MISTRY SHOULD NOT BE “OBSSED” WH A FEW DIVISIVE MORAL ISSU SUCH AS ABORTN AND GAY MARRIAGE. “WHEN GOD LOOKS AT A GAY PERSON, DO HE ENDORSE THE EXISTENCE OF THIS PERSON WH LOVE, OR REJECT AND NMN THIS PERSON?” THE POPE ASKED RHETORILLY. “WE MT ALWAYS NSIR THE PERSON.”EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELFTAL OF GAYS THE VATIN HAVE BEEN TOLD FOR MORE THAN A THOAND YEARS. POPE JOHN XII, WHO REIGNED OM 955 TO 964, WAS ACCED OF HAVG SEX WH MEN AND BOYS AND TURNG THE PAPAL PALACE “TO A WHOREHOE.” WHILE TRYG TO PERSUA A BBLER’S APPRENTICE TO HAVE SEX WH HIM, POPE BONIFACE VIII, WHO REIGNED OM 1294 TO 1303, WAS SAID TO HAVE ASSURED THE BOY THAT TWO MEN HAVG SEX WAS “NO MORE A S THAN BBG YOUR HANDS TOGETHER.” AFTER PL II, WHO REIGNED OM 1464 TO 1471, DIED OF A HEART ATTACK—WHILE FLAGRANTE LICTO WH A PAGE, ACRDG TO ONE MOR—HE WAS SUCCEED BY SIXT IV, WHO KEPT A NEPHEW AS HIS LOVER (AND MA THE NEPHEW A RDAL AT AGE 17). SOME SUCH STORI ARE BETTER SUBSTANTIATED THAN OTHERS. EVEN WHILE THEIR RELIABILY IS QUTNABLE, THEY MONSTRATE THAT PLAYG THE GAY RD (EVEN IF YOU YOURSELF ARE GAY) IS AN ANCIENT CURIAL TACTIC. “THERE ARE CLOSETED GAY PRITS WHO ARE VIPERS,” OBSERV THE THEOLOGIAN MARK D. JORDAN, THE THOR OF THE SILENCE OF SODOM: HOMOSEXUALY MORN CATHOLICISM. “THEY ARE REALLY POISONO PEOPLE, AND THEY WORK OUT THEIR OWN NER MONOLOGY BY GETTG TO POSNS POWER AND EXERCISG ” AGAST OTHER GAY MEN, WOMEN, AND ANYONE WHOM THEY PERCEIVE TO BE A THREAT. “ALONGSI THAT ARE SUFFERG PRITS WHO SEEM SCERE ALL THE WAY DOWN, WHO ARE TRYG TO BE FAHFUL TO GOD, AND ALSO TO TAKE RE OF PEOPLE AND CHANGE THE STUTN. THEY ARE THE ON WHO ARE ALWAYS FOTTEN, AND READ OUT OF THE STORY OM BOTH SIS.”THE CATHOLIC PRITHOOD’S NTEMPORARY GAY CULTURAL MEMORY BEGS THE MIDDLE OF THE LAST CENTURY. WHEN PL VI ASSUMED THE THRONE, 1963, BY ONE ACUNT HE TOOK HIS PAPAL NAME NOT OM ANY PRECSOR BUT OM A FORMER LOVER, A FILM ACTOR. THAT AT LEAST WAS THE NTENTN OF THE PROVOTIVE GAY FRENCH WRER ROGER PEYREFTE, WHOSE 1976 ALLEGATNS ABOUT PL VI ED SUCH A STIR THAT PL TOOK TO THE BALNY OF ST. PETER’S TO NOUNCE THE “HORRIBLE AND SLANRO” ACCATNS. PL LOOKED A LGHGSTOCK, AND THE CURIA LEARNED A LSON: BETTER TO IGNORE SUCH CHARG THAN TO AMPLIFY THEM BY NIAL.MEANWHILE, SOME GAY CLERICS WERE OUTGROWG THE “PARTICULAR IENDSHIPS” THAT HAD LONG BEEN PART OF MONASTIC LIFE AND JOG THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN. BY THE 1970S, THE CENTER OF GAY LIFE ROME WAS A CISG AREA LLED MONTE CAPRO, ON THE CAPOLE HILL. AT A SMALL PARTY OF GAY MONKS AND THEIR IENDS ROME LAST SUMMER, NVERSATN TURNED TO RELLECTNS OF THAT PLACE. “IT WAS LIKE S OWN LTLE CY,” ONE MONK REMEMBERED, “WH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE—EVERYONE OM SEMARIANS TO BISHOPS—AND THEN THERE WERE, NVENIENTLY, BH OFF TO THE SI.” THE FELLOW FEELG AT MONTE CAPRO WAS PROMISED BY THE AIR OF SECRECY AROUND THE PLACE. THE AREA WAS A TARGET FOR MUGGERS AND THIEV, WHO FIGURED RIGHTLY THAT CLERICS WOULD MAKE IAL VICTIMS BEE THEY HAD MUCH TO LOSE BY THE PUBLIC ACT OF PRSG CHARG. ONE GAY FORMER SEMARIAN RELLED A NIGHT WHEN THREE MEN BEAT HIM UP AND STOLE HIS WALLET WHILE NUMERO MEN THE CROWD PARK STOOD BY. LEFT BLOODIED BY THE THIEV, THE SEMARIAN HOLLERED AT THE BYSTANRS, “THERE’S THREE OF THEM AND 300 OF !”HE TOLD ME THIS STORY, WH S ECHO OF THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARAN— WHICH A TRAVELER IS ROBBED, BEATEN, AND LEFT BY THE SI OF THE ROAD, AND P MEN DO NOTHG TO HELP HIM—TO ILLTRATE THE EVERY-MAN-FOR-HIMSELF DYNAMIC OF ROME’S GAY CLERIL CULTURE. GAY CLERICS OFTEN FAIL TO HELP ONE ANOTHER, HE SAYS, FOR THE SAME REASON THAT NO ONE TRIED TO HELP HIM THE NIGHT THAT HE WAS ROBBED: SOLIDARY ENTAILS THE RISK OF BEG OUTED.“LA MALETTA”SELF-CENTEREDNS N BREED A SENSE OF ENTLEMENT. “A CERTA PART OF THE CLERGY FEELS THAT NO ONE WILL RE WHAT THEY DO IF THEY ARE DISCREET,” SAYS MAR POLI, A PROMENT ITALIAN JOURNALIST AND LONGTIME VATIN RRPONNT, AND THE THOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS ABOUT THE PAPACY AND THE CHURCH. IN 2000, POLI PUBLISHED A BOOK-LENGTH TERVIEW WH AN ANONYMO GAY PRIT, ENTLED LA CONFSNE, REPUBLISHED 2006 AS IO, PRETE GAY (I, GAY PRIT). “RUMORS ARE O.K., BUT NOT SNDAL,” POLI OBSERV.THERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF SNDAL, THOUGH. IN 2007, MONSIGNOR TOMMASO STENI MET A YOUNG MAN AN ONLE CHAT ROOM AND VED HIM TO HIS VATIN OFFICE, WHERE THEIR NVERSATN— WHICH STENI NIED THAT GAY SEX WAS A S, TOUCHED THE MAN’S LEG, AND SAID, “YOU’RE SO HOT”—WAS SECRETLY VIOTAPED AND THEN BROADST ON ITALIAN TELEVISN. (STENI TRIED TO PERSUA ITALIAN NEWSPAPERS THAT HE’D JT BEEN PLAYG ALONG ORR “TO STUDY HOW PRITS ARE ENSNARED” TO GAY SEX AS PART OF “A DIABOLIL PLAN BY GROUPS OF SATANISTS.” HE WAS SPEND OM HIS VATIN POSN.) IN 2006 A PRIT THE VATIN’S SECRETARIAT OF STATE JURED POLICE OFFICERS AND SMASHED TO POLICE RS DURG A HIGH-SPEED CHASE THROUGH A DISTRICT ROME KNOWN FOR TRANSSEXUALS AND PROSTUT. (THE PRIT WAS ACQUTED ON ALL CHARG AFTER CLAIMG THAT HE FLED BEE HE FEARED HE WAS BEG KIDNAPPED.) IN A 2010 VTIGATN OF NTRACT FIXG FOR NSTCTN PROJECTS, ITALIAN POLICE WIRETAPS HAPPENED TO TCH A PAPAL HER AND GENTLEMAN OF HIS HOLS, ANGELO BALDUCCI, ALLEGEDLY HIRG MALE PROSTUT, SOME OF WHOM MAY HAVE BEEN SEMARIANS, THROUGH A NIGERIAN MEMBER OF A VATIN CHOIR. (THE CHOIR MEMBER WAS DISMISSED; BALDUCCI WAS NVICTED ON RPTN CHARG.)POPE BENEDICT WAS MORED TO HAVE ORRED THAT PRELAT WHO WERE LIVG DOUBLE LIV BE RETIRED OR REMOVED OM ROME. MAR POLI SPECULAT THAT PERHAPS AS MANY AS 30 WERE EASED OUT. THE MOST SENR PRELATE TO LOSE HIS JOB WAS CARDAL KEH O’BRIEN, THE ARCHBISHOP OF ST. ANDREWS AND EDBURGH. A STNCH OPPONENT OF GAY MARRIAGE WHO HAD PUBLICLY LLED HOMOSEXUALY A “MORAL GRADATN,” O’BRIEN WAS BROUGHT DOWN FEBARY BY THREE PRITS AND ONE EX-PRIT WHO ACCED HIM OF “APPROPRIATE NTACT” AND PREDATORY BEHAVR WHEN HE WAS THEIR BISHOP. THE EPISOS REUNTED BY THE FOUR MEN VOLVED SUCH NSISTENT PATTERNS OVER MORE THAN 30 YEARS THAT SOME OF O’BRIEN’S LLEAGU SURELY MT HAVE HAD THEIR SPICNS. WHEN I ASKED ONE ARCHBISHOP IF HE HAD KNOWN THAT O’BRIEN WAS GAY, HOWEVER, THE ARCHBISHOP SAID HE HAD NOT. WHEN I ASKED THE ARCHBISHOP WHO AMONG THE OTHER RDALS WERE O’BRIEN’S CLOST IENDS, HE LDLY ANSWERED, “I DON’T THK HE HAD ANY.” EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF, ED.EVEN BENEDICT HAS BEEN DOGGED BY MORS THAT HE IS GAY. THOUGH NO SOLID EVINCE HAS EVER EMERGED, IS TREATED AS MON KNOWLEDGE BY MANY ROME, WHO CE STEREOTYP GALORE, CLUDG HIS FSY FASHN SENSE (HIS BY-RED SLIPPERS, HIS “VALENTO RED” P); HIS CSA TO NAIL DOWN WHY “HOMOSEXUAL ACTNS” ARE “TRSILLY DISORRED” (MANY CLOSETED GAY MEN, OM ROY COHN TO CARDAL O’BRIEN, HAVE MA THE MOST EXTRAORDARY EFFORTS TO NMN HOMOSEXUALY); AND HIS BROMANCE WH ARCHBISHOP GE GäNSWE, HIS LONGTIME PERSONAL SECRETARY. (NICKNAMED BEL GRG, OR “GEO GEE,” THE GGED GäNSWE SKIS, PLAYS TENNIS, AND PILOTS AIRPLAN. HE SPIRED DONATELLA VERSACE’S WTER 2007 “CLERGYMAN LLECTN.”) PERHAPS THE MOST VIC OF BENEDICT’S NICKNAM IS “LA MALETTA.” THE WORD MEANS “CURSED” ITALIAN, BUT THE PUN RIV OM THE FACT THAT THE TERM MEANS THE EXACT OPPOSE OF BENEDICT’S OWN NAME ITALIAN, BENETTO, WHICH MEANS “BLSED”—WH A GENR CHANGE ACHIEVED THE PROCS.NEHER BENEDICT NOR GäNSWE HAS PUBLICLY RPOND TO ANY OF THIS. THE CHATTER’S MA NSEQUENCE HAS BEEN NOT TO HURT THEM PERSONALLY (THOUGH SURELY MT, AT LEAST A LTLE) BUT TO HELP LOCK DOWN GENUE NVERSATN ABOUT THE EVERYDAY LIV OF GAY PRITS, WHETHER CELIBATE OR NOT. IT IS MORE OR LS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GAY CLERICS TO ARTICULATE THEIR AFFECTNS ANY WAY THAT DO NOT AMOUNT TO WHAT AN ANGLO-SAXON MD MIGHT SEE AS HYPOCRISY. YET SUCH A DUALISTIC EXISTENCE IS VERY MUCH A PART OF CHURCH TRADN. “THIS IS ALMOST AN ASPECT OF THE CATHOLIC RELIGN SELF,” COLM TóIBíN HAS WRTEN AN SAY ON GAYS AND CATHOLICISM, “THIS BS OF KNOWG AND NOT KNOWG SOMETHG ALL AT THE SAME TIME, KEEPG AN ILLN SEPARATE OM THE TTH.” IT IS ALSO TYPIL OF ITALIAN SEXUALY GENERAL, AND ITALIAN HOMOSEXUALY PARTICULAR. THIS IS THE UNTRY THAT TOLERATED THE SEXUAL PAS AND SERIAL DS OF FORMER PRIME MISTER SILV BERLNI WH SRCELY A HT OF PROTT OM THE HIERARCHY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THIS IS THE UNTRY WHERE UNTLS MARRIED WOMEN IGNORE THEIR HBANDS’ DALLIANC WH MEN.LA BELLA FIGURATHE CULTURE OF CEPTN OPERAT ACRDG TO SIGNALS AND NVENTNS BY WHICH GAY CLERICS NAVIGATE THEIR LIV. CAMP IS PERHAPS THE MOST POWERFUL AND PERVASIVE OF THE S, THOUGH N BE DIFFICULT TO FE. IRONIC, EFFEMATE SELF-MOCKERY—ALLOWG PRITS TO EXERCISE SOME LIMED REBELLN AGAST THEIR OWN ISOLATN AND VISIBILY—IS ONE FORM OF CLERIL MP. FOR FEAR OF LGHG OUT LOUD, PRITS SOMETIM TRY TO AVOID MAKG EYE NTACT WH ONE ANOTHER CHURCH WHEN HYMNS WH TL LIKE “HAIL, HOLY QUEEN” ARE SUNG. AFTER BERGOGL BEME POPE FRANCIS, YOUTUBE CLIPS OF A SEQUENCE OM FELLI’S ROMA WENT VIRAL AMONG GAY PRITS ROME. IT SHOWS A PLA-LOOKG RDAL WATCHG A NWAY SHOW OF OVER-THE-TOP CLERIL ATTIRE—WHICH ENDS WHEN THE PARTED POPE STEALS THE SHOW BY APPEARG THE GLOR GARB OF A SUN GOD.ONE GAY FORMER PRIT, WHO STILL LIV ROME, SCRIB CLERIL MP AS “A NATURAL WAY OF EXPRSG [GAY INTY] WHILE CELIBATE.” SOCIALLY, HE SAYS, IS “A KEY THAT UNLOCKS A FURTHER ELEMENT OF TST.” THERE’S NOTHG EARTH-SHATTERG ABOUT THIS—’S WHAT EVERY STUTN DO—BUT “THE CHURCH HAS A LOT MORE EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE AT PROTECTG SELF. AS FAR AS THAT GO,” HE SAYS, WH A NOD TO COLE PORTER, “THEY’RE THE TOPS.”WHEN THIS FORMER PRIT BEGAN HIS TN ROME, A PROFSOR TOLD HIM, “THERE SHOULDN’T BE A SUBCULTURE. WE ARE ALL MALE HERE, SO ’S APPROPRIATE TO SAY ‘HER’ OR TO REFER TO OTHER MEN WH FEME PRONOUNS.” THE FORMER PRIT SAYS THAT “NONE OF THIS STCTN WAS ABOUT OUR BEHAVR. IT WAS ABOUT HOW WE SHOULD APPEAR.” HE BELIEV THAT SUCH STCTN ILLTRAT A LTLE-NOTED CHANGE OFFICIAL THKG ABOUT CATHOLIC INTY, AND WHAT SHOULD BE AT S CENTER. “THE SYMBOLS OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE THE SACRAMENTS,” SUCH AS THE EUCHARIST, HE ARGU, BUT OVER TIME THE PEOPLE WHO ADMISTER THE SACRAMENTS HAVE E TO DISPLACE THEM PROMENCE. IN OTHER WORDS, “THE PRITS BEE THE SYMBOLS” THAT ARE EMED MOST IMPORTANT. WHICH TURN PUTS A PREMIUM ON OUTWARD APPEARANCE AND ENFORC NFORMY TO A CERTA OFFICIAL IAL. THE CHURCH, THEREFORE, IS CREASGLY PREOCCUPIED WH MAKG SURE S LEARS ARE GROOMED OM AMONG “BOYS WHO LOOK HOLY: PLAYG DRS-UP AT THE AMERIN COLLEGE AND GOG DOWN TO PIAZZA NAVONA AT NE P.M. TO SAY THEIR BREVIARI.” SACRAMENTS AND LURGY, THE FORMER PRIT SAYS, ARE “THE KERNEL OF WHAT MAK THE CHURCH IMPORTANT. THIS IS WHAT MAK POWERFUL. NOT THE PROTECTN OF MEDIEVAL STUTNS.”YET THE CHURCH, AS ITALIAN SOCIETY, ’S OFTEN THE SE THAT RIGHT APPEARANCE—LA BELLA FIGURA—IS ALL. IN EVERY TAIL, PARTI CELEBRATG APPOTMENT TO THE VATIN AND OTHER HIGH CHURCH OFFIC N BE LAVISH—“LIKE A POSH GIRL’S WEDDG”—WH MANY CLERICS ATTENDANCE BEG “GAY MEN WEARG EVERYTHG HANDMA, PERFECT, QUEER AS ,” OBSERV ONE PROMENT FIGURE THE ROMAN ART WORLD. BUT LA BELLA FIGURA MATTERS JT AS MUCH AT ORDARY MOMENTS. ESPECIALLY FOR CLERICS WHO BREAK THE VOW OF CELIBACY, IS CCIAL TO KEEP UP APPEARANC THE NORMAL URSE OF LIFE.GAY SNAS ARE GOOD PLAC TO MEET OTHER GAY PRITS AND MONKS. THE BT TIM TO FD CLERICS AT THE SNAS ARE LATE AFTERNOON OR EVENG ON THURSDAYS (WHEN PONTIFIL UNIVERSI HAVE NO CLASS) OR SUNDAYS (AFTER MASS). SOME GAY CELIBATE CLERICS E THE SNAS NOT FOR SEX BUT TO EXPERIENCE A SENSE OF FELLOWSHIP WH OTHERS LIKE THEMSELV. ONE LLS HIS SNA VISS “SOMETHG TO NFIRM MYSELF AS I AM.” (ROME HAS FEW GAY BARS, AND JOHN MOSS, THE AMERIN OWNER OF THE LARGT AND OLST ONE, THE HANGAR, SAYS THAT THE RISE OF INTER CISG, BED WH THE VATIN’S CRACKDOWN ON GAY PRITS, HAS CIMATED HIS GAY CLERIL CLIENTELE. “THERE ED TO BE SO MANY SEMARIANS—SUCH BETIFUL MEN—WHO ME TO THE BAR, AND WE WOULD EVEN GET HIRED TO TAKE PARTI TO THEM SOME OF THE RELIG HO. NOW THERE’S NOBODY.”)ONCE YOU MAKE A NNECTN, ’S POSSIBLE TO E YOUR MONASTERY CELL FOR SEXUAL ASSIGNATNS, AS LONG AS YOU DON’T MAKE MUCH NOISE. “YOU N SNEAK PEOPLE , NO PROBLEM,” ONE GAY MONK SAYS, “BUT TRY TO AVOID NSISTENT PATTERNS OF MOVEMENT.” IN OTHER WORDS, DON’T VE A GUY OVER ON THE SAME DAY OF THE WEEK, OR AT THE SAME TIME OF DAY, VERY OFTEN. THAT SAID, “NO ONE HAS SEX” WH OTHER RINTS OF HIS OWN MONASTERY, A FORMER MONK TOLD ME, “BEE IS LIKE A BIG BROTHER HOE. EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYTHG.”THE MORE SENR THE CLERIC, THE MORE LIKELY HE MAY BE TO PLAY LOOSE WH THE L. ONE LEADG VATIN REPORTER (WHO SAYS THAT, AMONG JOURNALISTS ON THE BEAT, THE TWO MOST MON TOPICS FOR GOSSIP ABOUT CHURCH OFFICIALS ARE “WHO’S GAY AND WHO’S ON THE TAKE”) SCRIB THE LOGIC OF SUCH BEHAVR. “EVERYTHG IS PERMTED BEE YOU ARE A PRCE OF THE URT,” HE SAYS. “IF YOU ARE TLY LOYAL AND ENTSTED WH THE HIGHT LEVEL OF RPONSIBILY, THERE HAS TO BE AN EXTRA LIBERTY ATTACHED ORR TO BE ABLE TO PULL OFF.”VOWS OF CELIBACY DON’T SAY ANYTHG ABOUT EYE NDY. SOME CURIA OFFICIALS ARE SAID TO HANDPICK EXTREMELY HANDSOME MEN FOR MENIAL JOBS ORR TO MAKE VATIN CY MORE SCENIC. A LAYMAN I KNOW WHOSE JOB REQUIR EQUENT TRIPS TO THE VATIN ED TO ENJOY FLIRTG WH A MCULAR GO-GO BOY WHO DANCED ON THE BAR AT A GAY NIGHTCLUB ROME. ONE DAY AT THE VATIN, THIS LAYMAN WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE DANCER OUT OF NTEXT, DRSED THE UNIFORM OF A SECURY GUARD. WHEN HE MA TO GREET THE MAN, THE GUARD SIGNALED HIM TO STAY BACK, RAISG A FGER TO HIS LIPS A QUIET “SHHHHH … ”WHERE SILENCE N’T STRICTLY BE KEPT, WORD GAM N PARTMENTALIZE THE TTH. IN THE VATIN OFFICE OF A MONSIGNOR WHO I’D BEEN TOLD MIGHT HAVE SOME FIRSTHAND KNOWLEDGE NCERNG RECENT GAY SNDALS THE CHURCH, I ASKED, POT-BLANK, “ARE YOU GAY?,” AND HE SERENELY ANSWERED, “NO.” I REPLIED, “I WONR, IF A PRIT IS HOMOSEXUAL—BUT DO NOT PARTICIPATE MASTREAM SECULAR GAY CULTURE—ULD HE SAY THAT HE IS NOT ‘GAY’ AND STILL THK HE’S TELLG THE TTH?” “WHAT AN TERTG QUTN,” THE MONSIGNOR SAID, IMMEDIATELY STANDG UP AND GTURG ME TO THE DOOR. “I’M AAID I DON’T HAVE ANY MORE TIME TO TALK.” HE SISTED ON PERSONALLY WALKG ME OUT OF THE BUILDG, AND AS WE PASSED ALONG A GRAND HALLWAY I REMARKED UPON S BETY. “I DON’T SEE ,” HE REPLIED ARCHLY. “TO ME, OTHER HALLWAYS ARE ‘BETIFUL.’ ” WAS THIS AN NOCENT REMARK, OR A D ANSWER TO MY QUTN? SOMETIM TALKG TO GAY PRITS FEELS LIKE READG STORI BY B.FOR THOSE WHO WANT , ANIZED WORKS N PROVI SOME GROUNDG. A FEW SMALL GROUPS OF GAY CATHOLICS ROME OPERATE PUBLICLY, BUT BEE ANYONE N E TO THEIR MEETGS, N BE RISKY FOR PRITS, PECIALLY VATIN OFFICIALS, TO BE PART OF THEM. ONE PRIVATE GROUP OF ABOUT 50 GAY PRITS AND LAYMEN MEETS ONCE A YEAR, FOR A KD OF RETREAT. A VATIN PRIT I MET WH—HE ACTUALLY VED ME TO STOP BY HIS OFFICE NEAR ST. PETER’S BEE HE SAID HE WANTED “TO SHOW THAT THIS IS NO SECRET,” THOUGH ’S SECRET ENOUGH THAT HE N’T BE NAMED—IS VOLVED WH THIS GROUP, AS PART OF AN UNOFFICIAL MISTRY ADDN TO HIS OFFICIAL DUTI. HE SAYS THAT HIS SUPERRS, CLUDG AT LEAST ONE VERY PROMENT VATIN OFFICIAL, HAVE LONG KNOWN HE IS GAY, AND HAVE EVEN PROMOTED HIM SCE LEARNG THAT FACT.YET GAYS THE VATIN, LIKE SPI TELLIGENCE SERVIC, HAB BOX WH BOX. THE PRIT WHO HELPS WH THE GROUP OF 50 RAISED HIS EYEBROWS WHEN I REPEATED TO HIM SOMETHG AN ARCHBISHOP HAD TOLD ME. “I KNOW A PRIT WHO MISTERS TO PEOPLE THE CURIA THAT SUATN,” THE ARCHBISHOP SAID, THOUGH “HE IS NOT ASSIGNED OFFICIALLY.”MOST POPULARTHE CAST OF OPPENHEIMER AND THE REAL PEOPLE THEY PLAYBY HILLARY BISSOUND OF FREEDOM: THE WILD TE STORY BEHD 2023’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL FILMBY EVE BATEYTHAT SOUND YOU HEAR IS DONALD TMP SCREAMG, CRYG, AND THROWG UP A MAR-A-LAGO BATHROOMBY BS LEV“THAT IS NOT ME,” THE PRIT SAID, AMAZED. “I WONR WHO ULD BE.”DON’T ASK, DON’T TELLAS YOU WOULD EXPECT, THE PRIT I MET THE SNA LOOKS RATHER DIFFERENT WH VTMENTS ON. WHEN I WALKED TO CHURCH A FEW DAYS LATER, FOR SUNDAY-MORNG MASS, HE WAS THE CELEBRANT—EVEN THOUGH, WHEN WE MET, HE HAD SAID HE WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE TOWN. MAYBE HIS PLANS HAD CHANGED AGA.HE WAS PREACHG A HOY ON THE GOSPEL READG, THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARAN. THE PRIT TOLD THE NGREGATN THAT THIS STORY WAS A CHALLENGE. A CHALLENGE TO ACCEPT “RISK FAVOR OF PASSN.” A CHALLENGE TO “LOOK MORE EPLY AT ‘WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?’ ” A CHALLENGE TO BE GENERO, UNLIKE “THE RELIG, SPIRUAL PERSON WHO DID NOTHG TO HELP.” LISTENG TO THE WORDS, I ULD NOT HELP BUT WONR: WHERE, THAT PARABLE, DO THIS PRIT SEE HIMSELF?FROM THE DAY AFTER THE NCLAVE END—WHEN FRANCIS WENT BACK TO HIS HOTEL AND PERSONALLY CHECKED OUT, PAID HIS BILL, AND PICKED UP HIS SUSE—THE NEW POPE HAS SURPRISED PEOPLE WH HIS ACTNS. DURG HOLY WEEK, HE WENT TO A JUVENILE PRISON AND WASHED THE FEET OF MAT, CLUDG TWO GIRLS AND TWO MLIMS. ONE MORNG, HE REPORTEDLY MA A SANDWICH FOR THE SWISS GUARD WHO HAD STOOD SENTEL OUTSI HIS ROOM ALL NIGHT. HE VED 200 HOMELS PEOPLE FOR DNER THE VATIN GARNS.FRANCIS HAS ALSO SAID SOME THGS THAT, OM A POPE’S MOUTH, SEEM EXTRAORDARY SIMPLY BEE THEY ARE SO DOWN TO EARTH—LIKE HIS CHOICE TO END ONE HOY WH THE UNTRADNAL EXHORTATN “HAVE A GOOD LUNCH!” YET THE FIRST TIME THIS POPE’S WORDS, RATHER THAN HIS ACTNS, MA SIGNIFINT HEADL WAS NNECTN WH HIS MENTS ABOUT THE “GAY LOBBY.”AS NOTED, THE PHRASE FIRST GAED CURRENCY BEFORE FRANCIS ME ON THE SCENE, BUT RETURNED TO PUBLIC DISCSN JT AS HE GOT SER ABOUT WHAT MAY BE A HALLMARK OF HIS PAPACY: A CLEANUP OF VATIN RPTN. THE SPE OF HIS NCERN ABOUT ABE OF POWER SEEMS TOTAL. HE IS REFORMG EVERYTHG OM THE VATIN BANK’S BOOKKEEPG TO THE NTENTS OF THE PAPAL WARDROBE.FOR A LONG TIME, GAY PRITS HAVE MA FOR NVENIENT SPEGOATS AND HANDY PAWNS CHURCH POWER GAM. ALL OF THEM, WHETHER ACTIVELY OR PASSIVELY, HAVE HELPED CREATE THE ROL FOR THEMSELV, AND THEY N HARDLY IMAGE A DIFFERENT REALY—UNLS THEY WERE TO EMERGE OM THE CLOSET AND GET THROWN OUT OF THE PRITHOOD. ONE MONK TOLD ME, “A LOT OF WILL NOT NMN. BUT NOT SPEAK OUT. WE’RE A SYSTEM THAT NTROLS . THE LONGER YOU’RE , THE MORE NTROLS, THE MORE YOU ASSUME THE CLERIL POSN.” THEY KEEP HOPE SMALL, OR SNUFF ENTIRELY. THEY BELIEVE THAT NOTHG AND NO ONE ULD MAKE THE CHURCH SAFE FOR THEM. MIGHT THIS CHANGE? “NOT MY LIFETIME,” THEY ALL SAY.YET, BEFORE HE BEME FRANCIS, JE BERGOGL WAS A JU. AS *NATNAL CATHOLIC REPORTER’*S JOHN ALLEN, THE AN OF THE AMERIN VATIN-WATCHERS, TOLD ME, “THERE’S A KD OF CATHOLIC VERSN OF ‘DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL’ THAT THE JUS WOULD BE PARTICULARLY NOTED FOR. THERE ARE GUYS THE JU WORLD THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS ARE GAY, BUT THEY DON’T GO AROUND MAKG A BIG AL OUT OF .” WHILE POPE BENEDICT’S VATIN ATTEMPTED TO MAKE SURE GAYS KNEW THEY WERE UNWELE THE PRITHOOD, THE JUS VELOPED A REPUTATN FOR TOLERATG AND EVEN PROTECTG THEIR GAY BRETHREN.IN THE LLEGIAL JU SPIR, FRANCIS APPOTED EIGHT RDALS TO SERVE AS HIS RE ADVISERS ON SIGNIFINT ISSU, AND THE G YEARS, THIS GROUP MAY HAVE AS MUCH FLUENCE ON THE SUATN OF GAYS THE PRITHOOD AS FRANCIS HIMSELF. WHEN I ASKED AN ARCHBISHOP HOW HE THKS THE RDALS’ NVERSATN ABOUT THEIR GAY BROTHERS WILL GO, HE ANSWERED WH REFERENCE NOT TO THE HOLY SPIR BUT TO THE GOD OF FORTUNE. “RIGHT NOW THE SURT THG I N SAY IS THAT THERE’S CHANGE THE AIR,” HE SAID. “IF YOU ULD SAY WHAT WILL HAPPEN, YOU ULD SAY WHO’D W THE LOTTERY.”THE NEXT TIME I HEARD MENTN OF A LOTTERY WAS A FEW DAYS LATER, AT DNER WH A GAY MONK WHO TOLD ME THAT HE HAD RECENTLY FALLEN LOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME, WH A MAN. “AM I A CLERIL HYPOCRE? I GUS ONE WAY I AM,” HE SAID, THE MIDDLE OF A LONG AND EMOTNAL NARRATIVE, BEFORE BRGG THE NVERSATN TO BEDROCK REALY. “BUT I’M OVER 60. I HAVE NOTHG FANCIALLY. I N’T LEAVE.” AND THEN HE SAID, “IF I WON THE POWERBALL LOTTO, I WOULD LEAVE.”NOTE: AN ALTERATN WAS MA THE PASSAGE ABOUT MAR POLI’S LA CONFSNE, REPUBLISHED AS IO, PRETE GAY, ORR TO GIVE A MORE ACCURATE SCRIPTN OF THE BOOK.MICHAEL JOSEPH GROSS

In every tail, parti celebratg appotment to the Vatin and other high Church offic n be lavish—“like a posh girl’s weddg”—wh many clerics attendance beg “gay men wearg everythg handma, perfect, queer as , ” observ one proment figure the Roman art world. Regardg ndidat for the prithood, December 2016 the Congregatn for the Clergy, wh Pope Francis’s approval, reaffirmed that men who live a homosexual liftyle, have “ep-seated homosexual tennci, ” or support the “so-lled ‘gay culture’” nnot be admted to the misterial prithood:. In relatn to persons wh homosexual tennci who seek admissn to semary, or disver such a suatn the urse of formatn, nsistent wh her own Magisterium, “the Church, while profoundly rpectg the persons  qutn, nnot adm to the semary or to holy orrs those who practise homosexualy, prent ep-seated homosexual tennci or support the so-lled ‘gay culture.

" He says the plan don't acknowledge the historil legacy of homophobia the church, though he poted to the plan's allotment of $39 ln over four years to "support muni historilly margalized by the s of racism" as a step toward such an acknowledgement. While affirmg belief that persons of homosexual orientatn are persons of sacred worth who need the mistry and guidance of the church, the statement add that the church “do not ndone the practice of homosexualy and nsirs this practice patible wh Christian teachg.

The agreement about abeyance, though, beme effective immediately among s signers, and many other bishops the Uned Stat have likewise agreed to hold homosexualy-related plats agast clergy abeyance until after a post-separatn Uned Methodist General Conference 2028 term what new polici, if any, will be. Siarly, the Southern Baptist Conventn, the largt Prottant nomatn the US, ntu to margalize LGBTQ ngregants, wh msag that have bee culture-war talkg pots agast queer rights — like homosexualy is not a “valid alternative liftyle” and “genr inty is termed by blogil sex and not by one’s self-perceptn. And then the other part was always send-gusg myself - whether or not I was supposed to be open about my sexual orientatn, whether or not I was supposed to play the game of don't ask, don't Jt so that I'm clear, is the church's official stance on homosexualy today ambiguo or is pretty clearly fed and you'd like to see changed?

WHAT ABOUT ‘GAY’ PRITS?

S., church have gone beyond what the Book of Disciple says to make the church open and accsible to gay and lbian clergy like Do you know other pastors who aren't as open as you or haven't been able to be as open as you - have ma this choice to keep this important si of their liv quiet or secret om their ngregatns? In an open letter released last month, the former Vatin ambassador to the Uned Stat, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, sgled out several top Catholic rdals and bishops as beg plic the abe crisis bee of their associatn wh what he lled a "homosexual current" Catholic circl. rolutn enurag a policy on nondiscrimatn employment, volunteer service and membership polici wh regard to sexual orientatn; enurag the ngregatns of the Uned Church of Christ to adopt a nondiscrimatn policy and a Covenant of Openns and Affirmatn of persons of lbian, gay and bisexual orientatn wh the muny of fah.

WHY ARE SO MANY OF THE CLERGY GAY?

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTDivisns over the acceptance of homosexualy have proved tractable both on a global level and si even liberal-leang untri like New Fuller/Prs Associatn, via Getty ImagWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Craig Watson has spent his life searchg for a church that accepts him fully as a gay man. ”Divisns over the acceptance of homosexualy have raised doubts about whether the Anglin Church n rema uned, a nflict that has played out both on a global level and si even liberal-leang untri like New Zealand, where some Anglins have broken away to prerve tradnal tensns have pulled at the Anglin Church, which has 85 ln members worldwi, for s. In recent years, however, natnal church ​​Wal, Stland, Canada, Brazil and Mexi have voted to perm clergy to eher officiate or bls same-sex divisns were on display aga last month at Lambeth, the Anglin Church’s cennial nference, where the 650 bishops attendance argued over the treatment of lbian, gay and transgenr Rowland/Getty ImagThe archbishops of Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda did not attend Lambeth prott of “biblil revisnism” by liberal church.

UNED METHODIST CHURCH ANNOUNC PROPOSAL TO SPL OVER GAY MARRIAGE

But he also sought to mollify nservative bishops, who reprent a majory of Anglins worldwi, by affirmg the 1998 statement llg homosexualy nsistent wh archbishop said that for church many untri, changg tradnal teachg on same-sex relatnships “challeng their very existence. 14, 2021The reports h the Roman Catholic Church rapid succsn: Analys of cellphone data obtaed by a nservative Catholic blog seemed to show prits at multiple levels of the Catholic hierarchy both the Uned Stat and the Vatin g the gay hookup app first report, published late last month, led to the rignatn of Msgr. ) “I would also say that I thk there are very qutnable ethics around the llectn of this data of people who allegedly may have broken their promis, ” he only app explicly named the reports has been Grdr, which is ed almost exclively by gay and bisexual men, although The Pillar has ma vague referenc to other apps says are ed by heterosexuals.

Flynn said on the said Newark was the only Amerin dce they wrote about bee was once led by the former Cardal Theodore McCarrick, who was ocked 2019 and charged last month wh sexually assltg a child Massachetts their cisn to vtigate the e of a gay datg app suburban New Jersey, stead of a cy wh a large gay populatn, has raised spicn that their real goal may have been to unrme Cardal Tob, an ally of Pope Flynn and Mr. ”Update: New NY Law Helps Sex Abe VictimsIn pot of fact, Father Edw Palka says the church has even manipulated or found ways to sentially blackmail prits who have attempted to blow the whistle on the church’s homosexual / pedophile problems.

That sad ncln has been reluctantly reached by several honorable prits who have been blackmailed to silence by honorable edicts of the Catholic nfsnal (more on that later) Homosexual Bishops Father Palka wrote earlier this month the bullet of The Epiphany of our Lord Catholic Church that “evil” homosexual bishops set out to “punish, huiate and blackmail” cent, God-fearg prits who threaten to blow the whistle on the gay “mafia” wh the Roman Catholic church.

AS CATHOLIC SEX ABE CRISIS DEEPENS, CONSERVATIVE CIRCL BLAME GAY PRITS

”Related: McCarrick tip of the Iceberg, Polish Prit warnsHe ntued: “Not unrstandg the extent of their pravy and wrongly thkg that they are simply ‘normal’ men who jt stggle wh their sexual sir and sometim might fail to rema chaste but are really, tly repentant when happens and strive to ‘nfs my ss, do penance and amend my life, amen’, they nnot possibly grasp the hellish pths to which… [homosexual activist]… clergy will go to persecute, lambaste, punish, huiate and blackmail anyone who stands their way or threatens their way of life. Though fewer than 10 prits the Uned Stat have e out publicly as queer, gay men prise anywhere om 30 to 40 percent of the Amerin Catholic clergy, acrdg to timat om gay prits and rearchers, the New York Tim reported an article explorg the realy of beg a closeted clergy member. Almost all the prits who spoke to the Tim did so anonymoly, sayg that their beg intified as gay, even if they have kept their vow of celibacy, uld lead them to lose their livelihood, as the Church ntrols their hog, health surance, and retirement prit scribed livg the closet as an "open closet, " sayg that, though gay prits don't speak about their sexualy, many know about other gay prits.

" A 2002 John Jay College of Crimal Jtice study, missned by the church after the revelatns of sexual abe first me to light, found that same-sex experience didn't make a prit more likely to abe prits claimed they had sex wh other men or watched gay porn to explore their sexualy, but the Tim noted they "ultimately found more anguish than pleasure.

Uned Methodists have long bated LGBTQ rights the church, cludg the ordatn of LGBTQ clergy and a clergy's thory to marry same-sex upl, for bate reached an flectn pot 2016 after hundreds of Uned Methodist clergy me out as gay and when a regnal nference elected the first openly lbian bishop. Those who profs an inty (such as, but not limed to, ‘gay Christian, ’ ‘same sex attracted Christian, ’ ‘homosexual Christian, ’ or like terms) that unrm or ntradicts their inty as new creatns Christ, eher by nyg the sfulns of fallen sir (such as, but not limed to, same sex attractn), or by nyg the realy and hope of progrsive sanctifitn, or by failg to pursue Spir-empowered victory over their sful temptatns, clatns, and actns are not qualified for ordaed office. The Amerin Baptist Church the USA last addrsed LGBTQ policy statements 2005 wh a claratn on the “teachg of Scripture that God’s sign for sexual timacy plac wh the ntext of marriage between one man and one woman” and that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh biblil teachg.

THE ANGLIN CHURCH’S ‘KICK THE GUTS’ TO GAY PARISHNERS

That led to the adoptn of a 2016 policy that “the practice of homosexualy is patible wh Christian teachg” and that “self-avowed practicg homosexuals are not to be certified as ndidat, ordaed as misters, or appoted to serve The Uned Methodist Church. The Epispal Church Ameri 1976 affirmed the equal digny of all people, statg that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim wh all other persons upon the love, acceptance and pastoral ncern and re of the church” and “are entled to equal protectn of the laws wh all other cizens. At a UMC General Conference that year, the theologilly nservative mp, aid by socially nservative Uned Methodists om Ai, outflanked the morat and liberals and phed through a rolutn affirmg existg UMC bans on same-sex weddgs and the ordatn of "self-avowed practicg homosexuals" as General Conference also approved a new church law, Paragraph 2553 of the Book of Disciple, offerg UMC church a path out of the Uned Methodist Church wh their church buildgs and property — if they get approval om two-thirds of their ngregatn, sign-off om their regnal erng body, and pay their fair share of clergy pensn liabili and two years of "apportnments" for the larger nomatn.

GAY LAVENR MAFIA THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?

After years of tumult, the breakaway Anglin Church North Ameri spl om the Epispal Church Evangelil Lutheran Church Ameri (ELCA) lost members after votg to allow pastors to bls same-sex unns and ngregatns to accept gay clergy "monogamo" marriag 2009. Wh no equivalent of the UMC's Paragraph 2553, Epispalians are rolvg disput over ownership of church property chief lson the Uned Methodists n learn om the other spls is that while "no nomatnal divorce is easy, " all the male nomatns "are still standg and dog mistry — and so are the new nomatns that have stck out on their own, " Hahn the nomatnal divorc only about gay rights? In 1976, both the Hoe of Deputi and Hoe of Bishops voted for a fully clive Epispal Church, statg, “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim wh all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral ncern and re of the church.

“If you wanted to see a own on a tradnal Epispalian’s face, you jt had to mentn John Shelby Spong, ” said Mark Tooley, the print of the Instute on Relign and Democracy, a nservative thk Spong beme a natnal celebry the mid-1980s, when he began llg on the church to rensir s posn on gay rights.

Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Imag“My sense is if the Epispal Church n’t stand challenge wh s own ranks, then is not a church I would want to be a member of anyway, ” he told The New York Tim year he ordaed Robert Williams, an openly gay man, as a prit.

ST. LE'S, OTHER CHURCH, TO EX UNED METHODISTS OVER SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, GAY CLERGY

) Bishop Spong unrstood the ntroversy he was stirrg — fact, he ved every Epispal bishop the untry to months later he was censured by his lleagu, but he ntued to orda gay and lbian prits — at least 35 by the time he retired 2000, he claimed, cludg Bishop Perry. “That was a really strikg moment to me as a Lato gay man, ” said Miguel Esbar, executive director of the Epispal Divy School at Unn Theologil Semary, durg a Hoe of Deputi discsn on May 18 tled “A Full and Equal Claim: LGBTQ+ Epispalians Discs the Path Forward. The rolutn “nfs the Church’s ntued heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and the ongog harmful impact of anti-LGBTQ+ Christian proclamatn, preachg, pastoral re, and theology” and exprs a renewed mment to ensurg that LGBTQ people experience a “full and equal claim” to church life.

Conservative ngregatns also want to separate om the nomatn bee they agree wh the ban on same-sex marriage and gay clergy, and want the bate to Uned Methodist Church ― Oklahoma's send-largt fah group ― is the midst of a schism that has been gradually wing over the urse of several s. While the new nomatn, which has yet to be named, will ntue to practice the ban on gay marriage and clergy, the UMC will beg the procs of removg rtrictive language om s the past, UMC clergy have faced disciple for performg same-sex marriag or intifyg as LGBTQ, but many progrsive church have flouted such prohibns for Rev.

“IN THOSE DAYS, YOU DIDN’T TALK ABOUT THOSE KD OF THGS”. ROB HALFORD'S REACTN TO BEG METAL’S FIRST GAY IN

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