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Gay Catholic Priests

Richard Wagner's dissertation, entitled Gay Catholic Priests: A Study of Cognitive and Affective Dissonance, addresses the topic of possible dissonance resulting from conflicts between priests' self-identification as gay men (with sexually active lifestyles) and the Church's absolute ban on all homosexual relations, as well as its mandatory celibacy requirement for priests.

Wagner studied 50 self-identified gays priests in various parts of the United States. He contacted his subjects via referrals from other priests, and for the most part, the nature of their sexuality and their sexual activities were entirely secret. The total number of subjects (after the elimination of some and the withdrawal of others) was 50. The basic requirement was that they be ordained priests, active in a ministry, and self-identified as gay; i.e., that homoerotic self-awareness was part of their self-identification. Wagner employed two instruments, a uniform Sex History Interview which he administered to his subjects, and a 34-question Attitude Inventory Questionnaire which was given to the subjects at the close of the interviews and was returned by mail.

Wagner's stated goal was to determine whether cognitive or affective dissonance developed in gay Catholic priests in four general areas, which were studied via answers to various groups of questions in the two instruments. His areas of potential dissonance were: a) conflicts in conviction (possible conflict between their own feelings and traditional Church teaching on homosexuality and on celibacy); b) possible dissonance that might develop when gay priests are faced with conflicts between the traditional expectations of the priest's life and their own life choices; c) dissonance that develops from conflict of dual identity--as a priest and as a gay man; and, d) dissonance deriving from the conflict between their realized sexual outlets and their role as priests (i.e., whether the one is seen ...

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Gay Catholic Priests. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 17:54, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689431.html