Montreal Archdiocese drops HIV test requirement for seminarians

Published: 2004-02-18

MONTREAL (CNS) -- The Archdiocese of Montreal announced that it is dropping an HIV-test requirement for seminary applicants. In a Feb. 16 statement, the archdiocese said "the imposition of such a test is excluded for the future." It said that there was "neither a definitive decision nor a written directive requiring an obligatory HIV test." The statement emphasized that the archdiocese "shares and respects the values of Quebec society that are embodied in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms." It also suggested that it has broadened the scope of its revisions and is consulting canon and civil lawyers, as well as seeking the advice of medical and ethical experts. The statement stressed that canon law stipulates the sacrament of ordination is open only to those with the necessary spiritual, intellectual, psychological and physical attributes. In mid-January, the archdiocese announced that it would require an HIV test for seminary applicants, saying it was essential for it to know the full medical history of seminary applicants.

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