f/k/a archives . . . real opinions & real haiku

What’s the world coming to?  Ask Jeeves is about to fire Jeeves the Butler

(BBC, “Ask Jeeves decides to axe Jeeves; Inquirer; “Butler gets the bullet,”

Sept. 23, 2005).  And, just as I was going to suggest a possible late-life

priestly vocation for the unemployed manservant, I learn that the Vatican is

about to post a “No Gays Need Apply” sign on all of its seminaries.   (see

BBC, “Vatican ‘to ban new gay priests’,” Sept. 23, 2005; Mirror of Justice,

Gay priests and the Vatican, with a lengthy excerpt by “Fr. Paul Michaels,”

from The Tablet; NYT, “Gay Men Ponder Impact of Proposal by Vatican.”)

 

According to TimesOnline:

“The Roman Catholic Church is about to ban men who are even

suspected of latent homosexual tendencies from training as priests.

 

“Vatican sources said that the Pope will recommend mobilising all

the resources of modern psychology to weed out those with homo-

sexual thoughts.”

 

The Guardian explains:

The proposed move, a clear shift away from earlier church policy

of condemning homosexual acts but not homosexual orientation,

is being seen as another example of the hardline approach of the

deeply conservative new Pope, Benedict XVI.

“JeevesG”  Although I wish they’d keep the updated Jeeves search engine icon, 

I have no idea whether that newly-purchased enterprise needs a fresher and

more expansive image to compete with Google and Yahoo!. 

 

On the other hand, I’m almost certain that a ban on gay priests will greatly

hurt the Church’s image and its institutional soul.  It will both worsen the drastic

shortage of priests and greatly burden gay men who have been serving their

Church faithfully and are now being told they really should never have been

ordained.  (It has been estimated that between 20 and 30 pecent of American

priests are gay.)  Branding all persons with a homosexual preference as unsuitable

for the priesthood is both unjust and unholy.  I urge you to read the Tablet

column mentioned above, which was written by a celibate, homosexual priest

with an active ministry in the United States.

 

Just as Martin Grace recently wondered whether the American Catholic   “JeevesN”

Church is getting good advice from its lawyers, I have to wonder whether the

Vatican is getting good advice from the Divine Counselor, who is purportedly

the source of the Church’s “Truth.”  More accurately, I wonder whether any

one in the Vatican still has the ear of the Holy Spirit and whether they really

listen to the Divine message of love and compassion.

  At my Jesuit high school some forty years

ago, the principal (a male priest) ran off with the female head of

our Parent-Teacher Association.  Do you think we should check

out seminarians for heterosexual tendencies?   What the Church

apparently needs is a whole lot of good eunuchs. 

Meanwhile, Old Jeeves might have to look elsewhere for new employment.  

Don’t Ask.  Don’t tell.  And watch those bad thoughts!

 

[Tom Toles “explains” it all in this editorial cartoon (Wash. Post., Sept. 23, 2005)]

 

 

he stows his fan
behind his neck…
little priest

 

quite remarkable
being born human…
autumn dusk

 

 

    Kobayashi Issa 

       translated by David G. Lanoue                                                                             

                                                                                                       “JeevesLogo” don’t tell!