San Francisco Archbishop Responds After Caught on Video Giving Communion to Gay Men Dressed as Nuns

LifeSiteNews ^ | 10/10/07 | John-Henry Westen

[wagglebee]

SAN FRANCISCO, October 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Last Sunday, October 7, San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer said Mass at a Catholic church in the heart of the 'gay district' of Castro.  Most Holy Redeemer parish has a lamentable reputation of having caved in to demands of homosexual activists.  One group of homosexual activists which until recently operated regularly out of the parish was called "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence", men who wear makeup and dress as Catholic nuns.  Archbishop Niederauer was filmed giving two members of this group Holy Communion Sunday.

The "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence", whose motto is "go and sin some more" and describes itself as a "leading-edge order of queer nuns," planned to hold regular bingo games at Most Holy Redeemer parish until Catholic activists reported the plans to the press.  A local homosexual newspaper, the San Francisco Bay Times, reported that the events at the parish included sexually explicit activities.  Prizes included porn DVDs and "sex toys" the paper said.

Since then the parish has refused the "Sisters" use of its facilities.  However, according to local Catholic activists some of the "Sisters" continue to attend services at the church.

Anthony Gonzales, president of St. Joseph's Men Society, a group which has taken action to curb outrageous anti-Catholic activities within local Catholic churches, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about the incident Sunday.  Gonzales said that while his group decided to film the event and "let the evidence speak for itself."

 "This was such a blasphemous action within a Catholic Church by an Archbishop representing Roman Catholicism it would make Judas blush," Gonzales told LifeSiteNews.com.  "To hand over our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to known practicing and promoting sodomites, in the middle of a 'gay-friendly Mass' is beyond the pale.

Gonzales said his group is calling on the Vatican to take action.  "The Vatican has to react to this and has to remove him from office," he said.

Gonzales' group has not yet been able to post their video online. However, a separate video of the event has been placed online by the Catholic blogsite Quamdiu Domine and is available here: http://www.qdomine.com/Morality_pages/MHR.htm

LifeSiteNews.com contacted the office of Archbishop Niederauer for a response to the accusations.  A statement by Archbishop Niederauer sent to LifeSiteNews.com by Archdiocesan communications director Maurice Healy says that the Archbishop did not notice any "mock religious garb." 

"At Most Holy Redeemer Church Oct. 7, I noticed no protest, no demonstration, no disruption of the Sunday Eucharist," said Archbishop Nierderauer.  "The congregation was devout and the liturgy was celebrated with reverence. Toward the end of the Communion line two strangely dressed persons came to receive Communion. I did not see any mock religious garb. As I recall, one of them wore a large flowered hat or garland."

The "Sisters" were heavily involved in the recent Folsom Street Fair which in addition to full nudity and public sex acts by homosexuals involved included a mockery of the Last Supper with Christ and his apostles represented by leather-clad homosexuals.  Bishop Niederauer stressed that he had denounced the poster.  "In the past when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence or other groups have ridiculed the Church I have denounced their actions," said the Archbishop. "Only a week ago, Catholic San Francisco carried my remarks condemning the derisive use of the Last Supper on a poster printed by some other local group."

Americans for Truth, an Illinois based national pro-family group has joined in the call to have Vatican authorities made aware of the scandal.  Peter LeBarbara founder of the group encouraged "Catholics and other concerned pro-family Americans" to voice their concerns and provided the following contact information for Vatican authorities:

His Excellency The Most Reverend Pietro Sambi
The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
The Apostolic Nunciature
3339 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008-3687
phone: 202-333-7121
fax:     202-337-4036

Cardinal William J. Levada
Prefect
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
[Secretary: Most Rev. Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B.]
Piazza del S. Uffizio 11
00l93 Rome, Italy
Europe
phone: 011.39.06.69.88.33.57
phone: 011.39.06.69.88.34.13
fax:      011.39.06.69.88.34.09
email:  cdf@cfaith.va

[ArrogantBustard]

It also reminds me ... Our Lord had twelve Apostles ... one betrayed Him, one denied Him, nine abandoned Him ...

Only one stayed with Him to the end.

[Pyro7480]

But an average catholic has no input, no vote in what their hierarchy does.

That's where you're wrong. The faithful do have an imput, if there is enough clamour, and we have something more powerful than that - PRAYER!

[xzins]

How long before you have this Archbishop defrocked?

[HarleyD]

I consider it astoundingly ill-advised to pretend to speak authoritatively on topics of which one knows nothing.

cc me on your email to the Pope.

[magisterium]

Truth is not subject to a vote. It either is truth, or it isn’t. If it is, then no amount of hypocrisy among those who claim to espouse it can justify leaving the institution that it has been entrusted to. The Church never was, and never will be, a democracy. Its doctrines come from God, its adherents believe. That the hierarchy, of late, often doesn’t have the courage to publicly exercise proper authority and restore fidelity to doctrine has no bearing whatsoever on the claims of the doctrine itself.

And our “input” does matter with the hierarchy. The problem is that, for two generations now, the laity have allowed the hierarchy to neglect them in matters of the Faith (more than a few of the bishops and priests these days are moles for the Other Side, but we already know that), so relatively few American Catholics know the Faith well enough to take umbrage at these atrocities. But, that, too, has no bearing on the claims of the Deposit of Faith itself. It might be interesting to see what transpires when sufficient voices among the American Catholic laity bring this nonsense in S.F. to the attention of Rome! I plan to do my part. I’m sure that I am not alone, even just considering my confreres here on FR.

[ArrogantBustard]

Be sure to send me copies of your correspondence with your pastor.

[magisterium]

Yes, yes, yes. I understand you’re miffed about the “ecclesial community” thing. What I want to have explained to me is the joy you manifest in chortling about this San Francisco affair and making sure that your fellows are brought on board with the issue. How is this ecumenical behavior from a self-styled “ecumenist”?

As for the ORU affair, I’ll get back to you with the link in a few minutes.

[Ottofire]

>Short answer: It reinvigorated the Catholic Church; fixed many of the abuses; called for the seminary training of all priests, many of whom before didn’t have much formal training; and faced the both the Revolution and the continuing Mohammadan threat simultaneously.

I am pretty sure that I was told that the Roman Church was unchanging (2000 years!), and therefore never needing reform, being guided by the Paraclete throughout its history.

If it needs reform then did it lose it’s guidance? When and why? If it did not lose its guidance then why reform in the first place?

THIS is the point of the reformation, the Roman church has changed from the root, kept reforming, adding and saying that the additions are inspired. Thus when the next change happens, it is a revelation which apparently the ECFs and the Apostles knew, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the Roman Church forgot.

Unless you take the idea that tradition is a seed, which is constantly growing, (echoing the liberal’s living Constitution) in which the new revelations are not known by the ECF’s and Apostles, but then the Roman Church is not unchanging.

This is the corundum of the Roman Church. When are the additions going to stop? Can we not say that the Pope is also a Co-Redempter? A bishop? You?

By stepping away from the Constitution of the faith, the Scripture, the Roman Church is without the anchor, and is drifting away...

[xzins]

Then, I can only repeat my conclusion that other denominations are better than yours. At this point, the RCatholic church appears to fall on the scale somewhere around Thatira combined with Laodicea.

Who is Philadelphia today in our country?

Probably the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) or the Christian & Missionary Alliance (CMA) or the Calvary Chapels.

[HarleyD]

"...several here eloquently attests to things those same posters will not say outright. Ya know what I mean...?

I believe I know what you mean.

From my Protestant perspective, the Roman Catholic Church is steeped in idolatry and false doctrine. However, to be true to the Protestant confessions and scripture, anyone who truly believe that Christ is the Son of God, confesses Him with their lips and believe in their heart is a son/daughter of God worthy of all the respect that God affords all His children. Therefore, while I am happy to point out doctrinal inconsistencies until the cows come home because I have been instructed by scripture to do so, I cannot deny that only God truly knows your heart and I have to treat you as a child of God.

From the Catholic perspective, depending on whether you adhere to Vatican 1 or 2, the Church is the only means of salvation. Those outside the Church are lost (except under Vatican 2 where you might be saved). Be that as it may, if you attack the Church doctrine you are attacking Christ, Himself and are a most vilest offender. By attacking the Church if I am not subject to hell itself, certainly I'm subject to purgatory for a very long time. I am to be reviled and shun for my heathenistic doctrine until I fall into line with the Vatican teachings.

Did I sum it up nicely?

[Jim Noble]

This is totally unacceptable, Nierderauer needs to be removed IMMEDIATELY!

By who? By Levada?

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence carried on very well under Abp. Levada's tenure - it is naive in the extreme to believe he will touch them now.

[nanetteclaret]

I’ve sent an e-mail to the Apostolic Nuncio and to the Holy Father, himself. Does that count?

The Eucharist may mean nothing but a “wafer” to you, but to this Catholic it is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord, and in the words of St. Paul, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, NOT DISCERNING THE LORD’S BODY.” I Corinthians 11:27, 29

You said, “If it truly represented the grace of God...” That statement right there is a blasphemy! Why do you think Jesus took the time and effort to institute it for us? So that He could give us His grace! He said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51 St. Paul says, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death til he come.” I Cor. 11:26 I have a more complete understanding - now - of the extent that His grace is given to us, but even when I was Presbyterian, I knew the Lord’s Supper was holy. Surely a Bible-believing Protestant understands from reading Scripture that the Lord’s Supper is sacred, since He gave it to us Himself.

Are you even a Christian? If you are, you had better re-think your statement, for the sake of your own soul!

[wmfights]

Revelation 2-3 suggests it can be done in some....Ephesus, for example.

I know how much ecumenism is important to you, despite some of the abuse you've taken, and I do admire you for it.

However, (you knew that was coming ;-0) I can't think of any instance of a top down hierarchy doing that. Do you believe the RCC would be capable of giving up its "Tradition" and "Magesterium"? How about admitting the falsity of "Apostolic Succession". If they can't let go of these heresies how can other Christian Churches be in unity with them?

[Pyro7480]

I am pretty sure that I was told that the Roman Church was unchanging (2000 years!), and therefore never needing reform, being guided by the Paraclete throughout its history.

You notice that those things I named were reformations directed at the faithful, not at the teachings themselves. There has been a development of doctrines over the centuries, but NONE of it contradicts anything the Apostles taught.

[wmfights]

“We” (protestants) have been pilloried as not being “real” churches. (We, of course, think that we are.)

One correction brother. "We, of course, KNOW that we are."

[wmfights]

and faced the both the Revolution and the continuing Mohammadan threat simultaneously.

What revolution are you referring to?

[Pyro7480]

The Protestant Revolution, which is actually part of a greater Revolution, which has gone through several steps - Protestant, French, Communist, and now “cultural.”

[wmfights]

But an average catholic has no input, no vote in what their hierarchy does.

This is why ecumenism is not meant to be.

One baptist can change his church in about a week.

Hey, you underestimate us!

[padre35]

” Let’s be brutally honest. The Eucharist really means nothing to Catholics except taking a wafer and doing a duty. If it truly represented the grace of God, I’d hope every Catholic would be doing more than simply posting how upset they are on the Internet. The Vatican would be doing more than the ho-hum attitude it has towards these priests and archbishops who support homosexual attitudes.”

That is not only an unfounded blanket statement, the sentiment behind it is not exactly charitable.

As in any large group there will be deviations among it’s adherents and wolves among the flock who claim to be sheep.

Should the Catholic Church deal with this profaning of the Eucharist?

Absolutely, and harshly, if people had any appreciation of the History of Christianity, one would know how serious a matter this is.

Will they act?

I don’t know, I would doubt it as the Hierarchy in SF will run flack for the ArchBishop.

If I were a congregate in that parish I would look for a different parish.

“But I don’t expect any headlines. Day after tomorrow this will be filed away and we’ll be reading about the blessed Mary on the Catholic Caucus. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so sad”

And what would you have truly Faithful Catholics to do? Throw out the whole of their Faith due to this man’s actions?

If you’ve ever wondered how smaller sub Communions got their start in the RCC, things like these are the reason, from the “Latin Only” movement to mobile Bishoprics these things are dealt with, maybe not in a way that the modern world deals with them as it is an internal Roman Catholicism matter, they will handle it in the manner that they deem appropriate.

Otherwise the parable of the Wheat and the Tares is of no effect, and actually meant nothing.

[DesScorp]

Damn...why doesn’t he just hold Satanic mass and get it over with? He couldn’t have desecrated that church any worse if he’d smeared sh*t all over the altar.