abstract:The Sacred Congregation for the Clergy (Congregatio pro Clericis) is the congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders. The Congregation for the Clergy handles requests for dispensation from active priestly ministry, as well as the legislation governing presbyteral councils and other organisations of priests around the world.
However, he has worked on various Curial committees, as a member of theCongregation of Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments and theCongregationfortheClergy among others.
Despite reeling from a variety of sex scandals, the Catholic church under its arch-conservative pope is staunchly maintaining its opposition to homosexuality among thecongregation, let alone the clergy even though in reality the priesthood has for centuries attracted many gay men, not all of whom kept to their vows of celibacy.
Cardinal Ratzinger was named the prefect of theCongregationforthe Doctrine of the Faith, making him Catholicism's theological watchdog in charge of monitoring and disciplining clergy who advocated teachings that ran contrary to Vatican positions.