The Michelangelo Code

Like a good Phd student I acknowledge the need for theoretical underpinnings to what I’m saying, so here it is:

The Michelangelo Code is a theoretical proposal which holds as its core concept that the Roman Catholic Church’s policy of celibacy has instead produced a clergy that is largely homosexual. I suggest that the clergy has, throughout history, been of a majority SSA (Same-Sex Attraction) orientation, with a minority of them being oriented towards OSA (Opposite Sex Attraction). Furthermore, the powerful institutions of the Church: the monasteries, the universities, the episcopal sees, and the Vatican itself, have, more often than not, been under the control of a clergy with an SSA orientation. Within the framework of the theory I also propose the following sub-tenets:

1. The major heresies from the 13^th Century on, involved an assault on the primacy of the celibate (and I argue, homosexual) clergy. These heresies included the Albigenssians, the Waldensians, The Hussites, The Lollards, and the Reformation itself.
2. In dividing potential clergy in to 4 categories:

The Michelangelo Code proposes that those who are Straight, or of a OSA orientation, will often abandon the priesthood at some point. While those who are gay, whether chaste or unchaste, will remain within the priesthood, and will seek to perpetuate the power of like-minded colleagues.

3. Sources have arisen throughout the centuries indicating a heavily SSA oriented clergy. Such is certainly the case in our present day. The Michelangelo Code proposes that today’s status quo is in fact no different from the situation in preceding centuries.

In constructing this theory, I have attempted to adhere to the principle of falsifiability. Therefore, everything stated in the Michelangelo Code can, as I believe it will, be proven true, but I have also constructed the statements so that the inverse could be also proven, and in that way, the theory be proven false.

To be precise:

If a majority of the clergy throughout history, can be shown to be of a OSA orientation (whether actually chaste or unchaste) then the theory will be disproven. Furthermore, the sub-tenets can be falsified, if:

1. Those Heresies listed were shown to place no challenge to the primacy of the celibate clergy.
2. The majority of clergy, historically, were of a Straight, OSA, orientation, whether actually chaste or not.
3. The current day status quo of large numbers of SSA-oriented priests is in fact an aberration, an exception to the status quo when most priests were of an OSA orientation.