Transcript of Post Interview With Bishop William Skylstad

Q: So it's clear from this document in your reading that there is a place in the priesthood for a chaste, gay man?

Skylstad: "Well, that has to be the discernment of the individual bishop. I think he has to be primarily motivated by what I said before, the gift of his whole person to the church and to pastoral ministry. That has to be paramount and of primary importance in his dedication to the priesthood."

Q: Some people contend that gay men who in a psychologically mature way understand their own orientation will be ruled out by this document, while those who hide it from themselves and/or from others could still be ordained, so the church could end up with a less healthy group, rather than a more healthy group of priests. Do you share that concern?

Skylstad: "The document calls for an affective maturity in the person and that, of course, is a constant discernment process as a person passes through formation. So I think there is some concern that people will hide their orientation. But really, basically, any healthy candidate for the priesthood must be very open about his entire life with his spiritual director and certainly as we go through the screening process. He has to be open, or should be open, about that. If he's going to go into secrecy about that, then that's not a healthy situation either."

Q: You've talked about being able to make a gift of yourself to the church completely, and how if someone had a deep-seated homosexual orientation that might not be possible. Could you say the same thing about someone with a deep-seated heterosexual tendency?

Skylstad: "Absolutely. It cuts both ways. You're right."

Q: So the issue is not so much the orientation as whether it dominates one's personality?

Skylstad: "I think if the orientation dominates one's personality, whether that be homosexual or heterosexual. You know, a heterosexual person who cannot live the celibate life in fidelity to his mission, in fidelity to appropriate boundaries, is not going to be called by the church to priesthood either."

Q: The document talks about gay culture and doesn't define what that means, but one imagines gay bars and gay pride parades, that sort of thing. Commensurately, could one imagine someone who spends a lot of time going to sports bars and is very macho and makes a lot of inappropriate comments about women's bodies?

Skylstad: "Well, that also demonstrates a kind of immaturity, does it not? We're looking at affective maturity on both sides. So a person who would be engaged in that kind of activity, certainly that's contrary to what priesthood stands for and what ministry should be."

Q: But the document focuses on just one side, homosexuality. Is the other side unspoken but understood?

Skylstad: "I think it probably is inherently understood that we're looking at the other side as well, in terms of the sexual orientation issue. However, I think the burning issue in our society and culture today, including other churches, is the homosexual orientation. It seems to be of a more problematic, difficult nature for us to discern as we look for appropriate candidates for the priesthood. However, you're exactly right that a heterosexual must also have an affective maturity that demonstrates a deep commitment to the church and to authentic pastoral charity, and any person who crosses those boundaries in terms of sexual orientation, in terms of womanizing or lifestyle or whatever it might be, that person would simply not be an appropriate candidate for the priesthood."