gay priests news stories on Newser

Church-Backed Study Blames '60s for Sex Abuse

Rob Quinn — Wed, 18 May 2011 06:00:00 CDT

The Catholic Church's requirement for all priests to be celibate is not to blame for the church's sex abuse scandals, according to a study commissioned by and partially funded by America's Catholic bishops. The study concludes that most sex abuse cases involved priests trained in the '40s and '50s who...

Jim McGreevey Bid to Become Priest Rejected

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 14:41:15 CDT

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who resigned in 2004 after acknowledging he is a "gay American," had his eye on a new job—but so far it's not working out. McGreevey tried to join the priesthood, but the Episcopal Church rejected him, the New York Post reports. "It was...

Bishop Long: I Am Not the Man on TV

Polly Davis Doig — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 09:17:25 CDT

Bishop Eddie Long, the subject of various lawsuits alleging that he used his position to take advantage sexually of young men in his church, broke his silence today, telling his congregation that, "I’m under attack. I want you to know as I said earlier I am not a perfect man....

Cops: Priest Used Stolen $1.3M for Male Escorts

Jane Yager — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:37:00 CDT

A Connecticut Catholic priest spent $1.3 million in stolen church funds on male escorts, Armani suits, and stays at the Waldorf-Astoria, according to law enforcement authorities. Rev. Kevin Gray, until recently a parish priest in Waterbury, also paid the college tuition and rent of two of the young men...

Episcopal Church Names Second Openly Gay Bishop

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:07:00 CST

The Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles yesterday elected the Rev. Mary Glasspool as its second openly gay bishop, underscoring Episcopal commitment to accepting same-sex relationships despite enormous pressure from other Anglicans. "Any group of people who have been oppressed because of any one, isolated aspect of their persons yearns for...

Lutheran Branch Allows 'Monogamous' Gays as Clergy

Will McCahill — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:41:01 CDT

The largest US Lutheran denomination will allow gays in “life-long, monogamous” relationships to serve in clergy and other leadership positions, the Washington Post reports. Delegates at the convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America approved the measure 559-451; the denomination, which has 4.8 million US members, previously allowed...

Conservative Episcopalians Form Rival Branch

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:38:52 CST

Theological conservatives upset by liberal views of US Episcopalians and Canadian Anglicans formed a rival North American province today. The development is the culmination of a five-year rift that erupted when Episcopalians in New Hampshire consecrated the first openly gay bishop. The split represents a new challenge to the already...

Vatican Will Root Out Gay Priests With Sex Tests

Peter Fearon — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:23:26 CDT

The Catholic Church plans to screen gay men out of the priesthood with psychological tests aimed to detect "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" in seminary candidates, the Scotsman reports. Under the new guidelines, issued yesterday by the Vatican, potential priests will also be screened for "grave immaturity" and “imbalances” that imply a...

Wanna Feel Old? Check This List

Dustin Lushing — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:57:01 CDT

A glance at this year's Mindset List, from Wisconsin's Beloit College, provides a glance into the facts of life for the 18-year-olds beginning their freshman year in college. Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel : Harry Potter, created in 1990, is old enough to be a fellow freshman. GPS navigation systems are about...