Pope Francis reportedly told Italian bishops in a recent closed-door meeting that men who "practice homosexual acts" should not be allowed to stay in the seminary.
An article published by the Vatican Insider last Wednesday claimed that the pontiff warned Italian prelates against allowing homosexual men to apply for the priesthood.
"These tendencies, when they are 'deeply rooted,' and the practice of homosexual acts, can compromise the life of the seminary beyond that of the young man himself and his eventual future priesthood," the Pope stated, according to Crux, citing the Vatican Insider.
Francis reportedly told the bishops that if they "have even the slightest doubt" about men who want to enter the seminary, then "it's better not to let enter."
There has been no confirmation from the Vatican regarding the pontiff's remarks to the bishops. However, Italian Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, president of the Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI), had suggested in his reply to a reporter's question that the Pope had talked about the issue of homosexuality when he addressed the Italian bishops.
The Vatican Insider report came just days after Francis reportedly told a sex abuse victim that being gay "doesn't matter."
The Pope was thought to have made the remarks during a private meeting with the victim at the Vatican in April.
Francis allegedly told Cruz, as reported by Crux: "God made you like this and loves you like this and it doesn't matter to me. The Pope loves you like this, you have to be happy with who you are."
The Pope's admonition against allowing homosexuals into the seminary appears to be consistent with a guidance issued by the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education in 2005.
The guidelines, approved by Benedict XVI, state that those with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" as well as those who support gay culture cannot be admitted to the seminary.
In 2008, new guidelines reportedly expanded the ban to include men with "uncertain sexual identity."
Another document released by the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy in 2016 instructed confessors and spiritual directors to dissuade potential priests from proceeding with ordination if the candidate is a practicing homosexual.
During a recent meeting with 34 Chilean bishops in Rome regarding sexual abuse in the Church, the Pope cautioned against allowing gay priests from training other clerics in seminaries.
