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- Appointed Bishop George Hugh Niederauer, bishop of Salt Lake City, as metropolitan archbishop of San Francisco (area 2,620, population 1,744,050, Catholics 425,210, priests 425, permanent deacons 62, religious 1,004), U.S.A. The archbishop-elect was born in Los Angeles, U.S.A. in 1936, he was ordained a priest in 1962 and consecrated a bishop in 1995. Also: Accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of San Antonio, U.S.A., presented by Bishop Thomas J. Flanagan, upon having reached the age limit.

The Holy Father named Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland to be the ninth Archbishop of San Francisco. A terrific appointment. More to follow as this surprise (to some) appointment--he moves across the Bay from Oakland to San Francisco--begins to hit the email stream. Although obviously there are plenty of details that soon-to-be Archbishop Cordileone needs to master, it is not exactly as if he comes to the appointment without a clear sense of the situation in the City of St. Francis. A press conference at 10 AM at the cathedral will be streamed here. Bishop Salvatore CordileoneYou can bet this...

Catholic Archbishop George Niederauer of the Archdiocese of San Francisco has written a letter that will be distributed at all Masses this weekend about the Obama administration’s decision to require Catholic institutions to administration would require Catholic institutions such as hospitals and universities to provide contraceptives under the Affordable Care Act. See Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ statement here. The ruling has raised a huge row with many Catholics, who make up 27 percent of the electorate and constitute a large share of independents. They are also concentrated in the battleground states that will decide the presidential election....

Radical homosexual group ‘encouraged’ by archbishop’s inaction at Most Holy RedeemerThe Rainbow Sash Movement, a homosexual-rights group known for disrupting Masses across the world on Pentecost Sundays, says San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer’s failure to police activities at the notoriously ‘gay-friendly’ Most Holy Redeemer parish “should be applauded.” In a Nov. 22 news release -- the same day California Catholic Daily published a story about the scheduled appearance of retired Episcopal Bishop Otis Charles at Most Holy Redeemer -- Rainbow Sash said it “wishes to congratulate the people and pastor” of the parish for inviting Bishop Charles, noting he had...

On the admission of unworthy persons to Holy Communion ."Can. 915 - Ad sacram communionem ne admittantur excommunicati et interdicti post irrogationem vel declarationem poenae aliique in manifesto gravi peccato obstinate perseverantes. Can. 915 Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion.Folks, in light of the recent improper--to put it mildly-- administration and reception of Holy Communion that took place in California, where the Archbishop of San Francisco administered the Blessed Sacrament to an unworthy communicant--for which...

SAN FRANCISCO, October 17, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The story of the "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" receiving Communion from the Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco has been major news since the occurrence on October 7.  However, despite the fact that the story made it to Fox News' O'Reilly Factor, the local San Francisco media refused to cover it until today.    (see the O'Reilly coverage: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/launchPage.html?101207/101207_... ) In a separate segment, O'Reilly railed at the local media for failing to cover the story.  And it seems the verbal spanking had a salutary effect.  However, the San Francisco Chronicle which published a story...

Readers of Catholic Online are familiar with the group which calls itself the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.” They claim international membership. One of their most active chapters is located in San Francisco, California. They summarize their mission as “Defining San Francisco Values Since 1979” on their outlandish San Francisco web site. In an editorial in 2007 entitled “Scandal in San Francisco”, I wrote an account of their sacrilegious activities during Holy Mass on October 7, 2007 at the Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco, California. They hate the Catholic Church because she stands for the truth concerning the dignity...

San Francisco, Calif., Mar 27, 2009 / 06:46 am (CNA).- Pro-Obama Catholics and Catholic organizations should “step up” and respond to the pro-abortion “rights” president’s policy decisions, George Wesolek, the Director of Public Policy and Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of San Francisco said in a recent article. In an essay titled “The Honeymoon is Over,” Wesolek described how he has observed President Barack Obama’s actions with “a mixture of admiration and hope,” and that he had been encouraged by Obama’s advocacy of health care access and his expressed desire to reach out to the Arab world. “My sense of...

SAN FRANCISCO, February 18, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In the wake of House Speaker Pelosi's closed-door meeting with Pope Benedict XVI last weekend, news has erupted that earlier this month Pelosi secretly met with her own bishop, Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco, to discuss her stance on abortion.  Pelosi had publicly accepted an invitation to meet with Niederauer after the Speaker attempted to justify abortion in light of Catholic teaching last year during an interview on NBC's Meet the Press. Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV broke the news today that the promised meeting took place Sunday, February 8 in...

SAN FRANCISCO, January 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A San Francisco assessor has called for the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco to hand over $15 million in taxes because of an internal restructuring of the archdiocese, a move that some are describing as "retaliation" for the Church's opposition to Proposition 8. Assessor Phil Ting concluded that the Catholic Church owed the city taxes after the archdiocese was restructured and its property, which is almost all used by parish facilities, was consolidated seven months ago. "Because we knew the accusations (of unfair treatment) could be out there, we worked to look at...

San Francisco, Jan 6, 2009 / 05:49 am (CNA).- Opponents of Proposition 8 are suspected to have vandalized Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco over the weekend, spray-painting on the church black swastikas and the words “Ratzinger” and “Niederauer,” the respective last names of the Pope and the Archbishop of San Francisco. Most Holy Redeemer parish, located in the predominantly homosexual Castro District of San Francisco, has been billed as a “gay-friendly” church. It has previously participated in the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade and reportedly leased parish space to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of...

When vandals covered the walls of the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church with swastikas and other graffiti last weekend, Gavin Newsom condemned the attack, as any mayor should. But according to some Catholics, the mayor (and the Board of Supervisors) is partly to blame for the vandalism. "Both Newsom and the board have shown nothing but contempt for the First Amendment rights of Catholics," said a statement released by the Catholic League the day after the graffiti was discovered. "When crucifixes are sold as sex toys and Catholic sensibilities are assaulted by naked men in the street at the annual...

While the famously liberal city of San Francisco is known for its anti-military shenanigans, it's the anti-Christian and, in particular, anti-Catholic sentiment emanating from activist elements of the city's gay population that's been getting all the attention as of late. Most notably, it's been coming from the Fox News Channel, where "The O'Reilly Factor" host Bill O'Reilly, a practicing Catholic, is sick and tired of those who target his religion not only for ridicule, but outright hostility. The latest instance of such sentiment originated with an all too familiar source: San Francisco's notorious Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The "sisters" are...

While the famously liberal city of San Francisco is known for its anti-military shenanigans, it's the anti-Christian and, in particular, anti-Catholic sentiment emanating from activist elements of the city's gay population that's been getting all the attention as of late. Most notably, it's been coming from the Fox News Channel, where "The O'Reilly Factor" host Bill O'Reilly, a practicing Catholic, is sick and tired of those who target his religion not only for ridicule, but outright hostility. The latest instance of such sentiment originated with an all too familiar source: San Francisco's notorious Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The "sisters" are...

Well, the “Sisters” finally speak. After receiving Holy Communion from Roman Catholic Archbishop George H. Niederauer on October, 6, 2007 at Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Francisco, the cross-dressing Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence issued a statement on October 17, 2007. See: KNTV news story. They must have been tired of being upstaged by the fury directed at the archbishop. The highlights are as follow: “While at Mass the Sisters joined other parishioners in respectful and sincere worship and received Communion from the Archbishop.” Somebody might want to inform the “Sisters” that one doesn’t respect by dressing as drag queen...

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...

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is finally speaking out about the debacle at Most Holy Redeemer where Archbishop George Niederauer gave Communion to two Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The problem is, the Archbishop and priest of the diocese aren’t focusing their heat on MHR, they’re taking shots the people who caught the incident on video and who are writing about it on the internet. For some reason they can’t manage a little humility for their mistake. They’ve now resorted to attacking the faithful that are offended that the source and summit of their faith has been defiled. These are the...

SAN FRANCISCO, October 23, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On October 7, two homosexual men, dressed in costumes meant to mock the traditional habits of Catholic sisters, were filmed receiving Holy Communion from San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer. Reaction to the incident forced Niederauer to apologise publicly for what he called his “mistake.” Now Father Stephen Meriwether, pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Parish where the Mass was held, has told the Catholic San Francisco, the archdiocesan newspaper, “This incident has been blown way out of proportion.” The two men are members of an anti-Catholic homosexual activist group condemned by faithful Catholics,...

San Francisco Mayor Newsom and the Board of Supervisors have shown nothing but contempt for the First Amendment rights of Catholics. Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, in the heart of San Farncisco's gay Castro community, was vandalized over the weekend by opponents of Proposition 8, the California resolution passed by voters in November that rejected gay marriage. Swastikas were painted on the church and the names Ratzinger (referring to Pope Benedict XVI) and Niederauer (the San Francisco Archbishop) were scrawled besides the Nazi symbol. In the wake of Proposition 8, innocent persons have been assaulted, churches have been vandalized, a...

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco's Roman Catholic archbishop says he invited leaders of the Mormon Church to get involved in the campaign to pass a gay marriage ban in California this year at the request of his fellow bishops. Archbishop George Niederauer wrote in a column to be published in a diocesan newspaper Friday that he wanted to address the "many misunderstandings and hard feelings" resulting from Proposition 8's adoption. It's the first time the archbishop has commented on how churches organized to help push through the initiative, which overturned the California Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex nuptials. Mormon...