First Seminary Investigation Begins

At Aquinas in St. Louis...

I am familiar with the Rector/President, had him at a class at the Aquinas Institute (same place) in St. Louis back in the early 90's. They used to brag about one of their nuns having an MDiv so that when the ban on women's ordination was lifted she would be ready to go...gives you an idea of where they are coming from... not surprising to hear his comments.

From STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County:

The 25 candidates studying to become priests at Aquinas Institute of Theology
were described as 'anxious' but not worried Monday as a Vatican team began
evaluating how they are prepared intellectually, spiritually and sexually for
priesthood.

And an op-ed in the St. Louis Dispatch by the President Rector:

Priests are not sexless.

Priestly celibacy is a free choice to forgo sex and marriage for the sake of ministry. Like marriage, celibacy can be difficult, even burdensome. Those of us who have chosen it do so because we believe it is the best way for us to achieve our life's purpose. The goal is not to suppress sexuality but to shape it into a truly creative force in the service of others. Priests are loving, caring, feeling and, yes, even desiring, human persons. We wouldn't want it any other way.

Homosexuality and pedophilia are not the same.

Homosexuality involves attraction to adult persons of the same sex and is not in itself sinful or sick. There is no evidence that a homosexual orientation, in and of itself, prevents a seminarian from achieving the same holiness and ministerial effectiveness as a seminarian with a heterosexual orientation.

On the other hand, a pedophile has no interest in adult sexual relationships and is attracted only to children.

Most victims of pedophilia are girls, and most molesters are male family members. Pedophilia is a serious pathology that is resistant to therapy. It is found in every social class, within every racial and ethnic group and in every profession. There is no evidence that pedophilia is more prevalent among priests than in society at large.