Reversing an earlier stand, the Vatican has approved the appointment of a seminary dean who has expressed support for same-sex relationships.
In 2023 the Dicastery for Culture and Education text declined to approve the appointment of Father Martin Lintner, OSM, as dean of the Philosophical-Theological College of Brixen/Bressanone in northern Italy, citing his published statements on sexual morality. In one of the statements that caused concern, Father Lintner had said: “A homosexual relationship does not lose its dignity due to the lack of fertility.”
But the Vatican has now approved the appointment. Father Lintner said that the influence of Cardinal Victor Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, was instrumental in bringing about the change. He said that he approval of his appointment set a precedent.