Bishop says Philippines has been screening seminarians for years

Published: 2005-12-01

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (CNS) -- The new head of the Philippine bishops' Commission on Seminaries said a Vatican instruction on homosexuals and the priesthood contained nothing new because the bishops have been screening seminarians for years. Bishop Mylo Vergara of San Jose told UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand, that for 10 years he directed the formation of late vocations at Holy Apostles Senior Seminary in Makati City, just southeast of Manila. In a telephone interview, Bishop Vergara said a candidate for the priesthood "must have a clear sexual orientation in order to develop affective maturity or EQ (emotional quotient) and realize spiritual fatherhood," which he said is essential to priestly identity. However, the former seminary rector acknowledged that "it is hard" to count cases or actually define homosexuality, since it involves a "spectrum" of behaviors. Some men are "covert or overt" homosexuals, some possess homosexual tendencies and others display "feminine" behavior but are not necessarily homosexuals, he said.

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