The Vatican has approved new guidelines from the Italian Bishops’ Conference, allowing gay men to enter seminaries if they commit to celibacy, as expected of all seminarians regardless of sexual orientation. This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss whether this signals a shift in admissions policy and the potential implications for seminarians worldwide.
They also cover Pope Francis’s annual address to diplomats accredited to the Holy See, where he called for a “diplomacy of hope.”
Later, Gerry shares highlights from his interview with Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David, who faced death threats for opposing former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. The cardinal also observes what he sees as contrasting approaches to evangelization between Pope Francis, who calls the church to go outside its doors and seek those on the peripheries, and Pope Benedict, who stressed opening the church’s doors to welcome people in.
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Links for further reading
- Vatican approves document allowing openly gay men to become priests in Italy
- Pope Francis addresses war, fake news and our reasons for hope in New Year address to diplomats
- Biden awards Pope Francis Presidential Medal of Freedom, nation’s highest civilian honor
- Pope Francis acknowledges mistakes and defends most controversial decisions in new autobiography
