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

[wagglebee]

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

[wagglebee]

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[wagglebee]

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[Kolokotronis]

More of the stinking rot of heresy! The Latins, it seems, are playing catch up with the Episcopagans! Has this heresiarch no concept of what the Eucharist is and what the consequences are for those who receive unworthily?

[rawcatslyentist]

There aint gonna be nothing but a smoking crater left this time. Either that or G*D owes S&G an apology!

[Clock King]

I'm not Catholic, but I honestly don't understand why the Church doesn't start excommunicating these people. They obviously don't believe in anything in the Bible, and they mock the values of Church at every chance they get. "Go and sin some more"? Such a person does not believe in Christ, it's obvious. Maybe Jesus wants us to try to keep reaching out to these lost souls. One day they may be saved, but I'd really have to pray for super-strength to deal with these people.

[wagglebee]

I honestly don't understand why the Church doesn't start excommunicating these people.

A whole lot of us have been wondering the same thing for a long time.

[Dante3]

Weird.

[madprof98]

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

[NYer]

This story is running rampant all over the blogosphere today. Someone emailed me the story early this morning. It left me cold and empty. On the one hand, one can justify the Archbishop's appearance at such an event by likening it to our Lord's acceptance of the invitation to dine with the tax collector and his friends. The BIG difference, however, is that our Lord grabbed the moment and used it as a teaching opportunity. Tha did not happen in this case.

3 years ago, during Lent, I turned off the nightly news. The gap was filled with prayers, Scripture readings and reflection on God's mysteries. Even now, in this forum, scandalous stories such as this draw us like moths to the flame. I have chosen to avoid these 'rare' (and that is what they are) events while focusing on the more positive ones.

Thank you for the ping and your comments.

[vox_freedom]

Weird.

Excuse me, but this is worse than "weird."
It is repulsive, blasphemous, and a scandal to use three more appropriate terms.

[vox_freedom]

Weird.

Excuse me, but this is worse than "weird."
It is repulsive, blasphemous, and a scandal to use three more appropriate terms.

[murphE]

Crisis in the Church? What crisis in the Church?

[DocRock]

Sodom and Gomorrah

[HoosierHawk]

Even now, in this forum, scandalous stories such as this draw us like moths to the flame. I have chosen to avoid these 'rare' (and that is what they are) events while focusing on the more positive ones.

Nyer,

Yes, these incidents are rare. But when they are brought to light, non-believers are also drawn like moths. The non-believer sees the hypocrisy of the Church as immorality within the Church. Boston comes to mind.

I'm not a Catholic, and I wouldn't dare write to you as one. But we are admonished to expel the evil-doers from our Church. They erode its foundation by destroying the testimony of those who claim to have dedicated their lives to Christ.

While I commend your position on focusing on the positive, (and I think most Christians do), there may be some on your ping list who wish to take a more active role. Maybe not.

With respect,

HH

[murphE]

[murphE]

A whole lot of us have been wondering the same thing for a long time.

[Frank Sheed]

The Latins, it seems, are playing catch up with the Episcopagans!

Do I detect triumphalism? Maybe just use the term "Papist" or "Romanist" instead of the ever so subtle, Latinist, my Orthodox Brother.

"Let him who is without sin cast the first stone..."

In Christ Jesus,
Frank

[Kolokotronis]

“Do I detect triumphalism? Maybe just use the term “Papist” or “Romanist” instead of the ever so subtle, Latinist, my Orthodox Brother.”

FS, no triumphalism. I don’t really know what else to call you guys. I suppose I could have said “The Roman Catholics”. “Latins” is quicker.

But here’s the problem, FS. The Roman Church wants reunion with Orthodoxy while tolerating this sort of behavior. Your bishops argue about giving communion to abortion supporting politicians but hand it out to active gays and straight people living together without the benefit of clergy and then refuse it to people who get divorced and remarried. We’re not perfect, but our priests, I’ll suggest, have a more refined sense of their obligations to both the Holy Eucharist and potential communicants than yours do. I don’t know why this has happened since it wasn’t true when I was a kid, but it certainly is now. Every Sunday our priests make an announcement about who can approach for communion. If someone known to be living a life style contrary to the teachings of The Church, they are refused communion, publicly. That’s the way it should be.

Now you tell me FS, why should any faithful Orthodox Christian want anything to do with reunion with an organization which tolerates this behavior from one of its hierarchs?

[Wheee The People]

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."

Mustache? She had a mustache?