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]

Sad really, the entire congregation is debased, and the Priest notices nothing, the Eucharist is handled unworthily while the RCC is mocked at the same time?

I once read that there are some in Catholicism’s hierarchy that see the Church in the future being smaller, but much more faithful.

I understand the “primitives” much better now, i never thought that i would see this in Catholic Church.

[Alex Murphy]

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

Who's in charge that would do the removing?

[narses]

Ping.

[DieHard the Hunter]

God is not mocked. These folk only *think* they are getting away with doing so.

I am not Catholic, and I am unsure about where Catholicism sits with God, but it must be painful for devout Catholics to see something that is so deep in meaning to them be spoofed by buffoons such as these — with the connivance of an “Archbishop” who seems to think it is OK.

It is deeply regrettable that this is happening, and I feel deep sorrow that it could happen to any Christian congregation: it seems that the Catholic Church has been singled out, probably because of its prominence.

But God is not mocked. Not by “Nuns” and not by compliant-and-evidently-blind “Archbishops”.

[Coleus]

Maurice Healy, director of communications
Marta Rebagliati-Ribbeck, communications manager
info@sfarchdiocese.org
Most Rev. George H. Niederauer, D.D., PH.D
Most Rev. Ignatius C. Wang

Very Rev. C. Michael Padazinski, JCD
Rev. Msgr. Harry Schlitt

 

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco, CA 94109
415 614 5500

[fatima]

They look ridiculous but respectful.Why where they there?They attened Mass and went to Communion.Change of mind?mockery ?Only they know.

[B Knotts]

A lot of times, there is some, at least plausible, explanation for the outrageous stuff that goes on seemingly under the noses of bishops.

On this one, though...I’m sorry, but there is absolutely no excuse for this. Under no circumstances should men dressed as nuns (or, more accurately, as a caricature thereof) be admitted to Holy Communion.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Levada isn’t going to help anyone. He is partly responsible for Nierderauer’s installment in SF.

[Robert A Cook PE]

This is the same archbishop who said he didn’t know Nancy Pelosi was in favor of abortion.

You’ve got to be kidding. Abortion is the Rite of Passage, the Sacrament most holy of the modern/socialist/democrat/internationalist liberal party.

Even Clinton never dared approach ANY step that would slow down, or fail to promote, abortion.

[Robert A Cook PE]

So, tell me.

Yes, they took the Hosts. The “bishop in name only” claims they took the Hosts reverently.

Then what did they do with them?

[DieHard the Hunter]

> They look ridiculous but respectful.Why where they there?They attened Mass and went to Communion.Change of mind?mockery ?Only they know.

You are right, it is not up to us to pre-empt God by doing His judgment for Him. And so we cannot know what was truly in their hearts.

One can only surmise by their actions, and by their subsequent actions. It is OK for us to “judge righteous judgment” because we are told to — if for no other reason than that we know which examples to follow and which ones not.

I suspect if they had a change of heart, they would not have shown up to Mass dressed like that. And if, subsequently, they continued in their ways, then it is difficult to believe their sincerity.

Righteous judgment would say that a true believer probably would be safer not to follow their example.

Repentance means more than just saying you’re sorry: it means being truly sorry and amending your ways. Bringing anything other than a humble and contrite and repentant heart to something as important as Communion is a mockery of Christ’s Sacrifice, and thus unworthy.

God is not mocked, and those who partake unworthily eat and drink Dam’nation to themselves — we are told that.

[AliVeritas]

If you can’t figure it out... it would do no good to explain.

God bless you.

Pray, Pray, Pray.

[fatima]

No clue.When you go to church they don’t tell you how you can dress now.Does the priest take a survey before you receive Communion.So off they go-dressed as Nuns with Communion in hand-Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ .As a priest would you refuse or take into consideration a change of heart before walking in the church.Are they making fun of us or have they come back?

[lastchance]

And he needs his eyesight checked pronto. But the “sisters” should take care. What begins as an act of insult can result in real grace. May they hear the voice of God and answer Him in sorrow and repentence for receiving unworthily. If they did not mean to act in a manner insulting to the Sacrament may they realize the scandal they have caused and spend some time with the Blessed Sacrament in repentence.

[fatima]

Why are they there.Why are they prayerful.If in the future their actions prove to be negative I say yes deny but who am I but just a lay person.I know of an abortion supporter who I think Sister’s had died in a so called back alley abortion.He hated us and the Catholic church.He had pictures of a dead woman with a hanger and we would stand next to him and plead for life.Well one day after an invite from Father Pavone he walked into chruch.Father was up on the Altar and said Welcome.Some people in the pews began to talk against Father.This man knelt ed down.I don’t know the rest of the story but .

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Why are they there.Why are they prayerful.If in the future their actions prove to be negative I say yes deny but who am I but just a lay person.I know of an abortion supporter who I think Sister’s had died in a so called back alley abortion.He hated us and the Catholic church.He had pictures of a dead woman with a hanger and we would stand next to him and plead for life.Well one day after an invite from Father Pavone he walked into chruch.Father was up on the Altar and said Welcome.Some people in the pews began to talk against Father.This man knelt ed down.I don’t know the rest of the story but .

We cannot know their hearts, you are right, and the story doesn’t tell us. We are told thet Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentence.

We can hope that this was the case.

[fatima]

AliVeritas,I am giving church norms in this situation,that’s all.I am a lay person.

[TenthAmendmentChampion]

Lord, make Your presence known to all who seek You. Sanctify your churches and make the Host and Cup holy and undefiled. Give Your priests courage to speak the truth and rebuke those who seek to blaspheme Your house and Your saints. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[fatima]

DieHard the Hunter,:)

[ArrogantBustard]

heresiarch

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