I recently learned that there is a very serious scandal in a parish in San Francisco called Most Holy Redeemer. Unfortunately, it appears that this scandal has been going on for some time now. For those of you who may not be aware, Most Holy Redeemer is located in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco, which is the predominantly gay, lesbian, and bisexual neighborhood in the city. The parish bills itself as an “inclusive Catholic community” that embraces “all people of good faith… regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.” Doesn’t sound like there is anything wrong with that, right? I mean the Church should minister to everyone, right? But unfortunately it does not seem like this parish adheres to Catholic teaching on homosexuality, which is that homosexual acts are seriously sinful and that people with same-sex attractions are called to live chaste lives. How do I know this? Well, as you can see from the picture, the parish participates in the annual Gay Pride Parade. This picture, which is on the parish Web site, is from 2006. I don’t think anyone at Gay Pride Parades talks about chastity, do they?
But it’s not just parishioners who are involved in Gay Pride Parades. The parish’s pastor, Fr. Steve Meriwether, does as well, or at least he blesses those taking part in the parade, as shown in this picture. And he does it in his Mass vestments!
But it’s not just the Gay Pride Parades that trouble me. Most Holy Redeemer’s parish Web site, which I linked to at the beginning of this post, also includes links to DignityUSA, an organization that does not encourage its members to live chaste lives in accordance with the Roman Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality, like groups like Courage do. There are also links to groups like the Gay Catholic Forum, the Catholic Lesbians Organization, and the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries.
This is truly a serious scandal, one that Archbishop Niederauer of San Francisco needs to be made aware of, if he is not aware of it already. I say this is a scandal because it gives the appearance that the Church approves of homosexual acts, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says are gravely sinful. As someone who has committed homosexual acts, I can tell you that it is neither compassionate or loving to condone homosexuality. The truly loving thing would be to minister to the people in this parish who struggle with same-sex attractions by sharing with them the true teaching of the Church on chastity and homosexuality.
I would really like to see this situation corrected, because as a Catholic who struggles with same-sex attractions, it deeply offends me. I urge all of you reading this to write to the Archdiocese of San Francisco by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. I’m also planning to write to the Vatican to call on them to deal with this issue if Archbishop Niederauer does not. I hope you’ll join me in taking action and help return Most Holy Redeemer to its authentic Catholic roots.
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