An e-mail:

I’ve been a devoted NRO follow (and NRODT subscriber) for many years. I was in the seminary from 1984-87 and can personally attest that the homosexual problem was huge. Conservatively, I would estimate that at least half the seminary was homosexual. The problem with this is that seminaries get a reputation as centers of homosexuality and the priesthood becomes known as a homosexual profession. Who wants to be associated with that?
Another problem comes with the simple temptation of homosexuals living exclusively with other men. This is comparable to a straight seminarian living with Sports Illustrated swimsuit models. You can imagine the scandal and temptation that would lead to. Once that gay undercurrent starts, it’s virtually impossible to control it and gay and straight cliques form amongst the students and faculty. (Trust me, I’ve seen them.) Homosexuals need to be kept out of the seminaries for the same reasons they need to be kept out of the military.

ME: I do think it’s different than the military. A man who enters the military and a man who enters the seminary are both entering vocations of discipline, but different kinds, obviously. The priest is called to a life of holiness–guys in the military are not embracing what those in the seminary are. If you’re the type of person who will hit on a fellow priest, a male Church-goer, or abuse a child, that suggests there’s something more that’s a problem than that you are gay. Similarly if a priest is carrying on with a woman, the problem is not that he is heterosexual. But I do get that the current mess is so bad in some places that a moratorium might be a healthy solution, but with good teaching and a clear understanding why–and followed by a fundamental change in approach (going back to basics, etc.). You wouldn’t want to permanently shut out good men because of man-made mess.