Quote by Charles Benedict

“I was gay because I didn’t know if it would jeopardize my plans for priesthood and nobody wanted an out-of-the-closet gay priest at their…

— Charles Benedict

“Leaving the priesthood and coming out as gay would be a double whammy that would be difficult for some in the family, especially my…

— Charles Benedict

“I realized I needed to think about how to leave priesthood—if it was even possible.”

— Charles Benedict

“As a gay man, the Church oppressed me and I walked willingly into its repressive and controlling arms. As a gay man, I willingly…

— Charles Benedict

“Two of my closest seminary friends broke all contact with me after I told them I was leaving priesthood and coming out of the…

— Charles Benedict

“Though I wholeheartedly supported celibacy at the start of my seminary career, my opinion changed as I made my way toward and through priesthood.”

— Charles Benedict

“(My trust-in-God issues were about accepting who he created me to be, not about hiding in the priesthood.)”

— Charles Benedict

“After all, eighteen years of my life had been geared toward priesthood.”

— Charles Benedict

“At that point in time, the need to be myself had become a competing desire with my priesthood, but I didn’t quite understand that…

— Charles Benedict

“I quickly realized I had backed myself into a corner with no knowledge or information about how to do something different. My life, my…

— Charles Benedict

“Though it pains me to write this, I knew that if I wrote to the Holy Father and told him I was gay, I…

— Charles Benedict

“During my tenure at seminary, at least two gay couples formed and voluntarily left because they had fallen in love and no longer wanted…

— Charles Benedict