ON TAPE: U.S. Priest Blasts Vatican Cardinal and Archbishop over Homosexuality During Homily

LifeSite ^ | November 26, 2007 | John-Henry Westen

[NYer]

MINNEAPOLIS, November 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In the diocese of Saint Paul-Minneapolis, Fr. Leo Tibesar has been controversial for years when it comes to homosexuality and the Church's teaching.  Last year LifeSiteNews.com reported that the website of Dignity USA, the most prominent US lobby organization fighting Catholic teaching on human sexuality "from within" the Church, featured Fr. Tibesar as a member of the organization's National Leadership Team.

Now an audio recording of a homily which Fr. Tibesar gave on Saturday October 27 which took aim at an Archbishop, a Vatican Cardinal, and a prominent Evangelical preacher has been posted online.  The Archdiocesan spokesman had only recently heard of the incident and could not provide comment when contacted by LifeSiteNews.com

The Gospel reading for that Sunday (also the Saturday evening liturgy) concerned the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector recorded in Luke 18:9-14, where Christ praises the repentant sinner over the self-righteous Pharisee.

However in his homily Fr. Tibesar, pastor of Saint Frances Cabrini Church, cast the Archbishop and Cardinal in the role of Pharisee and those who unrepentantly counter Church teaching on homosexuality as worthy of the praise of Christ.

"What would Jesus say today if he were telling the parable in our Gospel of Luke?," asked the priest as he began a series of four versions of his retelling. 

In version 3 of his retelling, Fr. Tibesar preached: "Two people came into Church to pray, one was a Catholic Archbishop who refuses communion to Rainbow Sash people at the Cathedral on Pentecost Sunday who prayed "I give you thanks oh God that I am not like others - greedy, dishonest or like others who need to make their dissent from official Church teaching so public and divisive." 

"The other were Rainbow parents of GLBT people at the Cathedral on Pentecost who stood off on the side and prayed, "Oh God be merciful to us for failing to attend our own Churches more often; they say they love God then turn there backs on us in hate directly contrary to 1:John,4 - whoever loves God must also love the neighbor."

He concluded the point: "Jesus concluded the last ones went home more worthy in God's sight than the first."

With regard to the Vatican Cardinal, Fr. Tibesar took issue with the prohibition on the use of condoms. "Two  people came into Church to pray, one was a Roman Catholic Cardinal in Charge of Church doctrine who prayed "I give you thanks oh God that I am not like others   - greedy dishonest or like those living in Africa where AIDS is killing everyone even there we can never allow condoms to be used."

"The other was an African widow dying of AIDS who stood off to the side and prayed "Oh God, be merciful to me for not refusing the advances of my husband without a condom, soon I will follow him to the grave and leave our six children orphans," he continued.   

"Jesus concluded - the last person went home more worthy in God's sight than the first."

Finally taking aim at the Evangelical pastor, Fr. Tibesar recited the fourth version of his narrative.  "Two people came into Church to pray.  One was an Evangelical pastor whose regional services are broadcast nationally who prayed "I give you thanks oh God that I am not like others   - greedy, dishonest or like others who give into same gender sex drives which the bible calls an abomination."

"The others who came into Church to pray for a same sex couple raising children born by way of  donor insemination who prayed: "Oh god, be merciful to us for not finding our own medium to share with the broader audience the biblical passage of 1 John 4:16 - God is love and when we abide in love we abide in God and God in us." 
 
The homily grossly distorts Catholic teaching which teaches that all persons must be loved, and that the sin of homosexual sex acts are disordered and hurtful to the individuals involved in them.

Archdiocesan spokesman, Dennis McGrath told LifeSiteNews.com that he had only heard of the incident minutes before receiving the call from LifeSiteNews.com.  He noted that the Archbishops (Flynn and Nienstedt) were not available and had not yet heard the recording.  As in the past in response to other homosexual related problems in the same diocese, McGrath expressed concern about the situation, said the matter would be investigated and that "if action is necessary it will be taken."

In the meantime, despite Fr. Tibesar's very public history of gay activism, he is still a pastor of a parish in the archdiocese and has apparently not incurred serious sanctions.

To hear the homily online click below:
http://media.putfile.com/Fr-Tibesar-refutes-Bp-Nienstedt

To POLITELY express concerns:

Most Reverend Harry J. Flynn
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
226 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-4400
communications@archspm.org

Most Reverend John C. Nienstedt
Coadjutor Archbishop
Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
226 Summit Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55102
(651) 291-4400
communications@archspm.org

See related articles:

Prominent Minneapolis-St. Paul Priest a Leader in National Homosexual Lobby Group
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06032009.html

Vatican Intervenes in Minneapolis Catholic "Gay Pride" Parish
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/oct/04102806.html

New Catholic Bishop Expected to Bring Orthodoxy and Opposition to Homosexual Agenda to Minneapolis
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jun/07060507.html

Catholic St. Thomas University Votes to Sever Historic Ties with St. Paul Archdiocese
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07112103.html

Archdiocese Facing Parent Complaints over “Talking about Touching” Sex-Ed Program
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022806.html

Archdiocese of St. Paul claims no "Subculture of Homosexual Priests" Here
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/mar/06032801.html

[NYer]

Ping

[wideawake]

This character needs to go.

I say that as a parishioner who confronted a similar "priest" in the midst of a similar "homily" and read him the riot act.

[AnAmericanMother]

Wow! You mean you "stood right up in meetin'," like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm?

What happened?

[jjm2111]

I contrast, my parish’s homily last week was about the holiness of confession and the Eucharist. The priest talked about how he experienced the Presence leave a church when he found out that church no longer had confession.

[GoLightly]

Yeah, that happened?

[jjm2111]

If you don’t mind sayin’, how did he respond?

[wideawake]

It was a "pre-Cana" homily during a "pre-Cana" retreat and the "priest" was addressing us soon-to-be-married couples on various issues - including contraception.

He basically told us, punctuating his speech with vulgarities and some of the famous Seven Dirty Words (in front of the sanctuary, no less), that in the bad old days before Vatican II the Church had all kinds of repressive rules, but nowadays Catholics have the freedom to make their own decisions about what is right or wrong, including whether or not to use birth control.

So I briefly corrected his false teaching by citing the Catechism, told him I didn't appreciate his vocabulary, told him that it was rude to change the schedule of the pre-Cana at the last minute without telling anyone and without apologizing, and I told him that if I did my job as well as he was doing his job my boss would call security to escort me out of the building.

I also told him I would be in touch with the ordinary.

The other engaged couples were clearly uncomfortable both with his lecture and my reaction. He cut short his talk and handed things over to an adoring fan of his, one of the "lay facilitators" of the pre-Cana.

The lay facilitators gave me and my fiancee the cold shoulder and a wide berth for the rest of the day, and the "priest" came up to me and engaged me in a conversation that was alternately angry, syrupily condescending and attemptedly ingratiating.

The upshot was that I composed a letter to his ordinary and two weeks later he took a leave of absence from his parish "for personal reasons."

It later got back to me that there was a rumor that he had had a "nervous breakdown" and at least some of his parishioners personally blamed me for his problems, making me a persona quasi grata in my wife's parish for a while.

[wideawake]

See post 8.

I should emphasize the fact that my outburst took place in a group of 75 people at a pre-Cana "evening meditation" at a different parish church rather than in the middle of a Sunday Mass at my local parish.

[marshmallow]

Fr. Tibesar's outburst may have been a reaction to this; Parish cancels talk by father and lesbian daughter

In brief, Tibesar was informed by the same Fr. McGrath quoted in the above article, that a gay-friendly talk which Tibesar had organized for his parish, to be given by a father and lesbian daughter, was out of line. As a result the talk was canned.

McGrath lowered the boom on Oct 18 and Tibesar's homily mentioned in the article above occurred on Oct 27 just over a week later.

Tibesar is throwing a hissy fit coz he had his butt kicked.

[ArrogantBustard]

"Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you."

-Jesus of Nazareth

[maryz]

The upshot was that I composed a letter to his ordinary and two weeks later he took a leave of absence from his parish "for personal reasons."

The bishop actually did something??? The age of miracles is not past! :)

[GoLightly]

It was a "pre-Cana" homily during a "pre-Cana" retreat and the "priest" was addressing us soon-to-be-married couples on various issues - including contraception.

Know when the Church started doing those? Do they or did they include "mixed" couples? I ask, cuz I wonder why my premarital counseling was so minimal & mostly aimed at getting me to sign off on allowing any children we had to be raised Catholic.

[steve8714]

He’ll soon be “ordaining” womynpriests.

[wideawake]

I suspect that my letter was yet another black mark for a priest who had been on thin ice with his ordinary for some time.

He became very ingratiating toward me when he began to realize that I was not just a stupid mook who somehow managed to read the Catechism, but was actually somewhat knowledgeable about canon law, well-off enough for my regular contributions to matter to my local parish, and capable of composing a reasoned and forceful letter to his boss.

I doubt he would have taken such a simpering attitude toward a Neanderthal like myself to the extent that he did later if he wasn't already having problems.

[wideawake]

Know when the Church started doing those?

Presumably in the early 70s.

Do they or did they include "mixed" couples?

Indeed they do. There were several mixed couples - I suspect that part of the liberal speeches being given that weekend were intended as marketing to the non-Catholics in the crowd.

cuz I wonder why my premarital counseling was so minimal & mostly aimed at getting me to sign off on allowing any children we had to be raised Catholic.

Was your premarital counseling more recent than say, 1975?

[GoLightly]

1976!

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, that's much more understandable than blasting a priest during the homily! (I have walked out of an Episcopal sermon, of course I eventually walked out altogether, but I never stood up in the middle and called the priest out . . .)

Sounds like I would have probably stood up myself . . . it also sounds like, as you say, the poor man was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown and you just happened to be there. I can't imagine a priest using foul language in front of the Blessed Sacrament . . .

Interesting that "pre-Cana" counseling took place in a group. Of course, when my hubby and I were married back in 1977, I was a Piskie and he was still a Methodist. But pre-Cana counseling was private, the priest meeting with the engaged couple 3 or 4 times to discuss matters. My husband remembers it very well, but I seem to have somehow wiped it out of my memory banks because I have no recollection of any of the meetings or anything that was said. The priest was my favorite Canon of the Cathedral, a wonderful counselor and celebrant but an absolutely dreadful preacher. He was much better one-on-one, the best. Prayers for the repose of his soul; he was an old man when we got married and he would be over 100 if he were still alive.

[wideawake]

You were probably on the cusp. By the mid-eighties I believe it was required in every diocese.

[AnAmericanMother]

My word, I just Googled our Canon, and he died in Januuary of this year!

A memorial service for the Rev. Francis M. (Frank) Bulloch, a canon of the Cathedral of St. Philip from 1959-80, will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 29, at the Cathedral. Visitors will be received beginning at 1 p.m. in the Gould Room.

Canon Bulloch died Jan. 22. He was 91. Survivors include his wife, Mary Bulloch, of Atlanta, a member of Church of the Atonement.

A graduate of Georgia Tech and the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest, he was ordained a priest 50 years ago in the Diocese of Mississippi, where he served briefly before returning to Atlanta.

Godspeed, Canon B. I didn't even realize he was a Tech man!