I must clarify that the Church’s policy for homosexuals is much like the cloudy clergy issue: being homosexual is okay, but practicing homosexuality is not.  It’s all a bit convoluted and ill-advised in its muddiness, but we ARE talkling about the Catholic Church.

“But once a man kisses a man he’s done?”

One point about this question, though.  Lots of people believe one can be “cured” of homosexuality.  So I suppose if a person underwent such a “cure”, asked forgiveness, and lived a straight life from then on, they’d be OK in the eyes of the Church.  So this would be the Church’s “escape clause” on the matter.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” all over again.

To accept an openly gay priest would be to contradict a larger Church policy.

Yet, not accepting a gay priest is contradictory to the recently stated Church policy:

But the paper also stresses the Church’s deep respect for homosexuals, who, it says, should by no means be discriminated against.

I agree with…

The Church would seemingly prefer that homosexuals either live non-gay lives, or leave the Church entirely.

But anything purposefully excluding potential attendees while Catholicism in America is reportedly in decline can’t be the strongest move.

If a candidate practices homosexuality, or presents deep-seated homosexual tendencies…

Let me get this right guys, in essence, the Church is between a rock and a hard place.  On one hand they’ve declared homosexuality a sin of choice, on the other they’ve basically stated it’s a sin one can’t come back from (deep-seated tendencies don’t go away). Usually a few Hail Mary’s after a trip to confession and you’re forgiven.  But once a man kisses a man he’s done?

To accept an openly gay priest would be to contradict a larger Church policy, which is that homosexuality is not condonable.  Whether or not THAT position should change is a different debate, but it answers your question.  Furthermore, placing an openly gay priest at the head of a congregation would encourage his gay parishoners and gay Catholics everywhere, who otherwise would have concealed their gay-ness, to be openly gay themselves.  Based on its aformentioned position on homosexuality, the Church would seemingly prefer that homosexuals either live non-gay lives, or leave the Church entirely.

And now, O Lord, thou art our father, and we are clay: and thou art our maker, and we all are the works of thy hands (Isaiah 64:8).  That is a little difficult to get around if you’re a Christian.  Basically, the passage says that we are all creations of God and we are as we are because of God.

Don’t Christians get around this by declaring homosexuality is a choice, not something one is born with?