MONTREAL, January 14 (IslamOnline.net) - The Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal decided that men applying to study at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal to become priests must submit an HIV test as of this fall, a Canadian newspaper reported Tuesday, January 13.

The decision, which was taken by the Archbishop of Montreal, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, is primarily aimed at identifying homosexuals, The Gazette said.

Turcotte said the decision was necessary because the church has a right to know the state of health of those applying for a lifelong position.

"This is not a profession one will engage in for five or 10 years. It's a decision on a way of life," the paper quoted Turcotte as telling a news briefing Monday, January 12.

Rev. Thomas Lynch, the dean of Canada's largest seminary St. Augustine's Seminary in Toronto, said the church cannot hold back a person from office so long as celibacy is maintained.

"But let's be realistic. You can't change your sexual habits on a dime," he told the Canadian daily.

"If a person is gay and has been sexually active with other men, and then finds himself living in a seminary among 20, 40 or 100 other men, the odds are pretty high he's going to be attracted to somebody," Lynch asserted.

The Quebec Human Rights Commission said the measure does not violate the rights charter of Montreal.

Spokeswoman Ginette L'Heureux said the church could be exempt from the charter under Section 20, which makes some exceptions for charitable and religious organizations.

The Montreal Seminary is not the first to require an HIV test.

Since at least four years, all applicants to Edmonton's St. Joseph Seminary have been asked to submit the test.