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

[padre35]

“Catholic threads outnumber Protestant threads here 10 to one. If our tone seems defensive to you, perhaps it needs to be.”

A pity that such high mindedness is not matched by the pictures of homosexual “nuns” taking communion in the face of the Bishop of the Catholic Church who sees nothing.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

A pity that such high mindedness is not matched by the pictures of homosexual “nuns” taking communion in the face of the Bishop of the Catholic Church who sees nothing.

A Roman Catholic posted this thread. Perhaps your comment should be directed to him.

[1000 silverlings]

here's a dancing Hindu jesuit from the church that never changes,

http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/A096rcDancingJesuit.htm

[Dr. Eckleburg]

LOLOL. "Tradition in action."

Isn't that an oxymoron?

[Dr. Eckleburg]

If God has declared the end from the beginning, and if God elects based NOT on any good or evil acts that children who are not even born might do, then those names are already ordained among His people, according to His purpose in creation.

And thus, when God sends the Holy Spirit to a man whose name is numbered among His children, that man will, at a time of God's choosing, believe the truth of Christ risen.

Logically and Scripturally, if God desires someone's heart, He will get it, one way or another.

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it" -- Isaiah 55:11

I wish you'd get this straight. I'm up way past my bedtime. 8~)

[Dr. Eckleburg]

And doesn’t it make sense to you that if grace is not irresistible (as Arminius was taught in Rome), then you’ve opened the doors once again to a works-based salvation which is dependent on men to have to enough good sense to agree with the Holy Spirit, instead of God determining whom the Holy Spirit would indwell, rebirth, renew and regenerate?

[Brandie]

I am not a Catholic and I have been wondering the exact same thing about their church. Why do they protect those that harm children too, I just don’t get it. This is just a sincere question, I truly don’t understand any of it.

[Forest Keeper]

Yer honor, we rest our case.

Guilty as sin. He knew where he was and he knew what he was doing. No excuses. It'll be interesting to see if the Vatican does anything. And from an Archbishop no less.

We had a little dust up here in St. Louis last week. St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke made it plain as day that Rudy would be denied communion in his see. At least there's ONE guy who will be consistent. :) I've never understood the Catholic Church's attitude that it is up to the local leadership as to whether they will even follow their own Pope! What is that?! :)

[BibChr]

Oh come, now, Forest Keeper; you know there’s a 50,000-word answer to that, the upshot of which would be “Believe the Pope, not your lying eyes.”

[opus86]

"At Most Holy Redeemer Church Oct. 7, I noticed no protest, no demonstration, no disruption of the Sunday Eucharist," said Archbishop Nierderauer.

Then you are either a blithering idiot or a liar.

"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..."

Well, which is it, Archbishop? Seems to me the fact that two people obviously dressed like freaks are being IRREVERENT when they try to receive Communion.

I hope the Pope removes this buffoon.

[xzins]

I wish you'd get this straight. I'm up way past my bedtime.

DrE, those who will fairly disagree with me are my friends, and you have been one for years now.

All that you say is true, however, you must add to it a scriptural indication that humans CAN resist the Holy Spirit. I must put that in the mix, and I must see where it leads. In other words, I must take the scripture seriously, and I must look at the literal meaning first. The literal meaning of Stephen saying they "resisted the Holy Spirit" has to be given its day in court.

[xzins]

And doesn’t it make sense to you that if grace is not irresistible

You MUST give a verse that says they "resisted the Holy Spirit" its due. We can do no other.

[wagglebee]

I think one problem is that in the past couple of decades it has become acceptable for people to wear “everyday” clothes to Mass, priests are so used to seeing people in beach clothes that they might not even notice when it gets even more outrageous. There is a large Baptist church near my house and when I drive by it on Sundays, with almost no exceptions, the men all have coats and ties on, the women and girls are in dresses and the boys have on slacks and dress shirts. There is NO REASON that Catholics can’t observe the same reverence for the Lord.

[I_Like_Spam]

The archbishop seems to have been lying when he said that he didn’t notice anyone in mock religious garb at the mass.

These “Sisters” are a well known group in that area, noted for their distinctive dress.

The article isn’t clear about it, but my guess is that the archbishop didn’t take the rare opportunity to preach on Sodom and Gomorrah at this mass.

[marshmallow]

Catholic threads outnumber Protestant threads here 10 to one. If our tone seems defensive to you, perhaps it needs to be.

Oh, OK. So it's nothing more than a numerical problem. Cut the number of Catholic threads and everything will be hunky dory?

Riiiight.

What do you want? Affirmative action for Protestant threads? Post some. If there are any that are newsworthy. Let's hear what the Calvinists are saying about Iraq, Islam, abortion, the culture wars etc.

And rejoicing over the Church's struggles with internal dissent and scandal is "defensive"?

It's not defensive. It's offensive.

[Bainbridge]

Ah,but there is a problem in what you say. There are many here who do not consider those others to whom you refer to be members of “churches”. I am certain that you saw the recent discussion that there is only the Roman Catholic Church and that everything else is an “ecclesial community”.

[Bainbridge]

This stuff reminds me of the things that you all mock about the creepy guys masquerading on Television as “prophets”

Is all of this sanctioned by the powers that be in Rome?

[Forest Keeper]

Oh come, now, Forest Keeper; you know there’s a 50,000-word answer to that, the upshot of which would be “Believe the Pope, not your lying eyes.”

LOL! You've got me there. :)

[opus86]

Unfortunately many Protestant denoms have lost that reverence for church as well, including mine. I'm not saying people have to wear suits, it's just gotten too casual IMO.

That said, unless the Archbishop had his eyes closed, I can't fathom how he would not recognize that those guys were there primarily to make a statement.

[xzins]

Your church’s struggles with its heretics is news as is my church’s or any church’s struggles with the same.

It is not rejoicing to point out these problems. It is a matter of record, and it requires acknowledging. As a believer in Christian unity, it is necessary for us to sympathize, but it also necessary for us to point out that the depth of depravity evident in some denominations should make them less confident, a bit more humble, when they proclaim themselves the only church on the block.