VALENTE: The priesthood has lost heterosexual men, not only because thousands have left to get married, but also apparently because of the current climate in some seminaries.

Father MCBRIEN: Some of them who feel they have a genuine vocation to the priesthood go into a seminary and feel very alienated by the gay culture. Now, I don't say this in any homophobic sense. It's just the reality.

Bishop LISTECKI: What if it verges on the majority? Well, I think -- and bishops would have to take a look at assessing whether or not orientation might be a criteria to evaluate whether or not someone should be studying for the priesthood because then suddenly, you know, for the common good of the Church, they would probably have to take a look to see whether or not this does, you know, a detriment to the whole concept of the priesthood.

VALENTE: But there is disagreement over whether homosexual priests are having a detrimental effect on "the common good of the Church."

(to Priest "X"): Does being gay have any impact on a person's ability to minister?

PRIEST "X": I guess I'd rephrase the question by saying, "Does being sexual have an impact on anybody's ability to be minister?" And it's clear that, if it does or does not, we don't have much choice because all of us have a sexual identity, so to answer your question, "No"

VALENTE: Some parishioners seem to ignore the issue. Others say it makes no difference if their priest is gay.

GEORGE MILES (Parishioner): The sexual orientation of a priest certainly is not very high on my list of priorities. I look for a spiritual leader, a teacher, a homolist, a guider of the parish and the people in the parish.

SALLY STREETER (Parishioner): We're all children of God and I think that their ministry comes from their heart and their knowledge. I -- there's no implication to me whatsoever. I don't care.

VALENTE (to Priest "X"): Do you think that the average Catholic would care if a priest were open about his homosexual orientation?

PRIEST "X": I know that some of them would not. I know that some of them would.

VALENTE: They would, says this priest, because of common misconceptions.

PRIEST "X": I think whenever you say "gay" there's an association or a pre-supposition that that means sexually active. I think in some people's minds, there's an understanding that homosexuality is somehow related to pedophilia. I think that for some people that they really do believe that orientation is a matter of choice.

Father MCBRIEN: The real problem that parishioners have today is when they lose a heterosexual priest because he meets someone and falls in love and wants to marry, so it isn't so much an animosity towards the gay, as it is a frustration with the system that allows the loss of really top-notch heterosexual priests to marriage but allows gay priests who may in fact -- I say may, be involved in relationships -- they can stay in because they're not going to go up before the altar and get married.

VALENTE: With heterosexual men leaving the priesthood and with some seminaries apparently becoming increasingly gay, what is the future of the priesthood?

Father MCBRIEN: The fact of the matter is, if these trends continue, the Catholic Church will run out of priests, certainly run out of heterosexual priests.

VALENTE: Some Church officials charge that complaints about too many gay priests are really part of a campaign to make priests leave celibacy optional. Richard McBrien says the two issues cannot be separated.

Father MCBRIEN: If you let them get married, you'd have enough priests and that's what they're beginning to say, so the pressure is not going to come from the bishops. The bishops will respond to pressure. The pressure is going to come from the average Catholic family who eventually will wake up to the fact that there aren't enough priests around to provide the kind of sacramental services that they've come to take for granted as Catholics.

VALENTE: Critics of the Church's teachings say it has not kept up with advances in understanding human sexuality. They argue that the Church must re-examine its positions on a variety of issues related to sexual ethics.

Father MCBRIEN: If there's an open discussion of gays in the priesthood, that means that there'll be eventually, or at the same time, a discussion of celibacy in the priesthood and that in turn is going to make it easier to have a even more open discussion about human sexuality in the Church, not just in the priesthood.

VALENTE: But for now, whatever the arguments about its sexual teachings, Church officials foresee no change.

Bishop LISTECKI: In 200, 300, 400 years from now, the Church's teaching will be consistent as it is today because it's rooted in sacred scripture and it's rooted in the authentic magisterium which reflects upon the natural law. It's not going to change. It won't change.

VALENTE: For RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, this is Judy Valente in Chicago.