Vatican City ? The Vatican defended a policy statement designed to keep men with “deep-seated” homosexual tendencies from becoming priests, but said there would be no crackdown on gays who are already ordained.

The Vatican document, the first major policy statement of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy, was officially released Tuesday after being leaked earlier. Conservatives have said it may help reverse the “gay culture” of many U.S. seminaries, while liberal critics complain the restrictions will create morale problems among clergy and lead to an even greater priest shortage in the United States.

The Rev. James Martin, a U.S. Jesuit who has written on the issue, said American theologians, canon lawyers and other Roman Catholics will “hope that the document won’t really mean what it says.” But he believes it’s clear the Vatican wants to keep gay men from being ordained – even if they’re committed to celibacy – and hopes bishops and seminary rectors will act accordingly.