Another ‘Gay Priest’ Website Scandal?

Men's News Daily ^ | May 3, 2004 | Matt C. Abbott

[presidio9]

Do you remember the now-infamous St. Sebastian’s Angels website for actively homosexual clerics? (See www.rcf.org.) Well, it appears there is a “sister” site. The following item is from noted Catholic author and apologist Patrick Madrid, from the Envoy Encore blog (http://www.envoymagazine.com/EnvoyEncore/):

The cliques and networks and buddy-systems of actively homosexual Catholic priests are alive and well.

… A concerned Catholic reader sent me a link to "Venerabilis," yet another website dedicated to gay priests. Its purpose, explained in English, French, and Italian, is to allow gay priests to anonymously contact one another with an aim toward sharing information and personal stories, fellowship and mutual encouragement, and (surprise!) to facilitate face-to-face encounters.

One priest, posting under the name "Tim," wrote:

"I am a lonely 44 year old priest. I am looking to connect with any priest over 45 who is built and stocky and stronger looking. Although im settled in mycountry I wish to move again to some parish abroad in UK or in Europe where english is spoken. IM a professional and feel so contrained and suffocated in my own country which is so conservative and homophobic. I need help and if any parish priest over 45 wishes to host me and become my friend im willing to offer a lot as long as he is gay and willing to also allow me to keep on studying and we support each other. Anyway wouldl ike to make lots of friends who are priests but im mostly attracted to older stronger men."

"Arnel," a 37 year old priest in the Philippines and member of a religious order which he, wisely, doesn't name, writes:

"My discovery of the web-site comes right at a time when I am so much in need of intimacy. I have been wishing to meet another priest, from anywhere, with whom to share my thoughts, my feelings, my soul. I love religious life and ministry, but this is a point in my life when I have a need not so much for sex, although that would be fine--but more of the sense of belonging to someone, and the sense of someone belonging to me, in some strange sense. The Lord has lavished upon my life great blessings, and I still pray that I may meet a fellow priest out there who might wish to begin a deep friendship, even from across the miles, and see where it takes us."

Reading through the comments posted on this site in English, French, Spanish, and Italian is very saddening to me. I'm sad for the men who live this way, struggling with their sexual problem, furtively arranging encounters with other homosexual priests, and most poignant of all, their feeling lonely, yearning for "older, stronger" father figures. How incredibly sad. I pray that God will lead them to repentance and virtue, before it's too late.

I also feel irritation that the questing tentacles of this homosexual underground network of priests (of which this website is just a minor tendril) continue to spread. We need strong, decisive, and immediate action to guarrantee that the screening process for all seminaries, diocesan and religious, will ensure as well as is humanly possible that men who are accepted as candidates for the priesthood are not going to wind up one day looking for sex on a gay priest hook-up website like this one. Or, worse yet, wind up on the front page of the local paper.

One bishop’s decision re pro-abort pols receiving Communion

Well, not surprisingly, the controversy over whether pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians should be allowed to receive Holy Communion continues to make the news. Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, has said they should not. But, hey, this is the U.S. bishops we’re talking about! Rome speaks, and few seemingly listen.

Consider the latest U.S. bishop to weigh-in on this controversy – Bishop Carl Mengeling of the Diocese of Lansing, Michigan. The bishop’s verdict? Quoting the written words of long-time pro-life activist Monica Migliorino Miller (www.stopgranholm.com):

Bishop Mengeling now has officially told the media that he will DO NOTHING to discipline [Michigan Governor Jennifer] Granholm or any other pro-abortion Catholic politician. This is most distressing... Bishop Mengeling's primary reasons for not disciplining pro-abortion Catholic politicians is that the Church must treat people like adults, not children and that the Church can't judge anyone--only God can!! This is amazing! I truly do have respect for the bishop, but his position is completely irresponsible. I'm sorry, but when someone supports a law that permits another group of people to be murdered I think we can safely say they are in contradiction to the Church and to God's law and cannot be admitted to Holy Communion! Indeed, we do want to treat people like adults!!! That's why the so-called Catholics like Gov. Granholm and Kerry MUST BE CALLED TO RESPONSIBILITY! No one is calling them to live like adult Catholics. Instead, the bishops permit these Catholics to act like spoiled teenagers--teenagers who will decide for themselves what is right and wrong no matter what the Church says, no matter that what they do that causes other human beings to be exterminated. It wouldn't be so bad except that what they decide to do and support facilitates the deaths of innocent human beings.

For those who might wish to contact the Diocese of Lansing, the e-mail address in info@dioceseoflansing.org. And while on the subject of the Holy Eucharist, I do want to make a clarification. In a previous column, a term was used – “tainted bread and wine” – that might have caused some confusion.

The traditional teaching of the Church is that the state of the priest’s soul (i.e. state of grace or mortal sin) has no bearing on the efficacy of the Sacrament for the faithful. See the following article for a detailed explanation: http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/02ws/ws020321.htm

Until next time…

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True bastors.

[presidio9]

Crow is a frequent menu item of newbies who post before reading the thread.

[AAABEST]

Presido is a good poster who rants plenty about Islamists and does not aim to denegrate the church.

The reason why our church is getting the black eye it's getting is because we have a leadership that tolerates this immorality, many of whom are gay themselves.

It's a huge problem that's not properly being dealt with. Sticking our heads in the sand and kidding ourselves that it's being handled with is foolish. On the contrary we should be standing outside the Vatican with pitchforks.

To allow this sick behavior to continue within our Lord's church is absurd.

[ladyjane]

I respectfully disagree with your "leave the church alone" position. The Catholic church has had years to clean up. It only began to address the issues when the miasma became public through the media and the courts.The silence and denial allowed the problem to fester.

[Smartass]

"Crow is a frequent menu item of newbies who post before reading the thread."

A person doesn't have to be new to be a bigot or spew hate.
What's your excuse?

[Bluntpoint]

Shhhhh!

Somebody might hear you and infer that something is amiss.

[Bluntpoint]

He is spewing truth. Get over it.

You are attacking a well known Catholic on this forum (not that there is anything wrong with that).

[Smartass]

A good Catholic would go about it in a different manner.
For example on the Religion thread!

[Bluntpoint]

A good Catholic would shout wherever one would hear his voice to correct the problems in his church.

Facilitators and enablers may do otherwise.

[tuckrdout]

Don't you think it could be anti-Catholic hucksters? I do.

[Bluntpoint]

I think they are anti-Catholic hucksters who happen to be priests.

[HarleyD]

This isn't just a problem in the Catholic Church-it's everywhere in every segment of our society. While the publicity in this article might be discomforting for the Catholic Church, I think it’s good to expose this type of behavior and take action on it.

Isn’t that what Christians are all about? Recognizing and admitting our failings and trying to correct our actions?

[gdc61]

with the almost non-exsistance of male on female abuse in the priesthood, homosexuality, whether with little boys or other priests, is the root of evil.

this priest looking for a "strong" partner, probably stems from him being the product of a priest molesting him and twisting his mind, as a child.

gay priests were first overlooked, then diregarded, then shuffled and hidden, now accepted and promoted.

Satan has taken over the church while we slept. Root out and excommunicate all gay priests and turn back to Christ or join them in the pit while THEIR lord, lucifer.

seek the truth, read the bible

[gdc61]

meant with

[presidio9]

What's your excuse?

I fail to see how discussing relavent current events is "spewing hate." Liberal propaganda aside, the RCC does not really have a "pedophilia" problem. It has a problem with gay priests seducing teenagers.

[Smartass]

Good Catholics have, in more ways than one. The horse
has been beaten to death. My point is, it just needs a
break from all of the negative press.

[Bluntpoint]

This is a new story about a new event.

Are you suggesting their should be some sort of quota system when it comes to bad news?

[Clemenza]

I'm a Catholic who believes that calling attention to a MAJOR PROBLEM in the Church is not being a "bigot." We shouldn't have our heads in the sand when it comes to problems in the Church with perverts, the lack of good clergy, the lack of ANY vocations in new parishes (ie the priest shortage problem). The REAL problem with the Church is people who state that "there is nothing wrong to see here" and have been in denial about problems within our Church for YEARS.