Rainbow people
The BBC is broadcasting a so called "gay mass" from (what a surprise) San Francisco's Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.
However, Father Donal Godfrey, the U.S. Jesuit priest celebrating the Mass, said he was delighted the BBC was "exploring how gay people fit into the perspective of the Christian narrative".
"Being gay is not special," he said. "It's simply another gift from God who created us as rainbow people."
Adultery isn't bad it is just another gift for the rainbow people. Rainbow people sounds like a really bad PBS cartoon from the seventies, something that Marlo Thomas would have narrated.
Fr. Meriwether the pastor of the Church was previously put on leave after many complaints to the Archdiocese for this parish allowing the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence holding bingo games with sex toy prizes in the parish hall. When the hub bub quitted down he returned and of course it is now business as usual.
Please pray for Archbishop George Niederauer that he will put a stop to this scandal there permanently and not just when there is public attention.
Please also send charitable emails to Archbishop George Niederauer protesting this travesty.
One positive thing about the article is that they actualy got something right about Chruch teaching.
The Roman Catholic Church holds that sex belongs in the context of heterosexual marriage and that gay sex is "objectively disordered".
However, it also teaches that homosexual orientation is not in itself sinful and that gays and lesbians must be treated with respect and be free from unjust discrimination.
Update: From LifeSite
SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Archdiocese of San Francisco is refuting the Evening Standard's claim that a service to be broadcast worldwide this Sunday by the BBC from a San Francisco parish is a "gay Mass".
With the headline, "BBC to broadcast gay mass from San Francisco" the Evening Standard reported today that the event, recorded last October 22, was presided over by Jesuit Fr. Donal Godfrey with preaching from one of Britain's leading homosexual theologians, James Allison. The Standard reported that the "Mass" will feature prayers and readings tailored for the gay community.
Maurice Healy, Communications Director for the Archdiocese, however, was adamant that what will be broadcast is neither a Mass nor endorsed by the Archdiocese. Healy told LifeSiteNews.com, "The event was not, repeat not a 'gay mass' it was a prayer service organized by Jesuit father Donal Godfrey."
Healy said, "I'm told that he organized it. It was not an archdiocesan function and the archdiocese was not aware of the BBC broadcast."
So will the event be stopped and prevented from being televised? No answer there.
When asked about the participation of the parish in the Gay Pride parade, Healy responded, "Their participation could be seen as a way of outreaching. They don't have the archdiocese' approval but Catholics are independent minded people."
When asked directly if Holy Redeemer is the gay parish in San Francisco, Healy said, "These are complex issues." He continued, "We don't make differentiations between gay parishes and other parishes. We don't take a census about ethnicity, or homosexual orientation."
The Diocesan Bishop has specific authority in regulating televised Masses and I would certainly guess the same would be true for televised prayer services. It should be pretty easy for a Bishop to figure out that any prayer service the BBC is willing to televise is certainly one that shouldn't be televised or probably held in the first place.
Known as 
Please also pray for and send charitable emails to our Holy Father Pope Benedict who appointed the Archbishop ever so recently.
I don't envy his position though, having to select nominees that'll get through that Democratic Senate is tough.
Hey, does anyone know why don't they need a Motu Proprio to hold those Rainbow Masses?
Somehow I doubt even Archbishop Burke would be able to clean out the Castro.
Bishop Wester was made the bishop of Salt Lake City a little while ago.
Jeff,
The Archdiocese of San Francisco is denying that it is a 'gay Mass' or even a 'Mass'. They are calling it 'independent from the archdiocese'.
The Communications director, Healy, said "I'm told that he (Fr. Godfrey) organized it. It was not an archdiocesan function and the archdiocese was not aware of the BBC broadcast."
Here's the link: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/apr/07042705.html
Tito
Jeff,
You're welcome!
Just messin' around. You are quick my friend.
The Standard reported that the "Mass" will feature prayers and readings tailored for the gay community.
Tailored specifically for the gay community? Let me guess, the readings are taken from Genesis 18-19 and Romans 1?
Oh I can imagine which passages of Scripture they'll choose. The ones mentioning David's love for Jonathan, and of course the ever-popular "Jesus and the Apostle He loved," who laid his head on His chest at the Last Supper. But will they include the diatribes from St. Paul on homosexuals excluded from Heaven? No way!
Here's the page for this show over at BBC4. It describes the thing as a "service". A transcript for the show will be available after it broadcasts.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/sunday_worship/
Notice that last week's program was a service for St. George's Day from St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle -- for the 100th anniversary of Scouting!
What's the problem with a Gay Mass? Certainly gay people have an enormous burden to bear and need the Mass and the Sacraments. Is the the title "Gay Mass"? We have the "Guitar Mass". Should we call those things "A Mass for Gays" and "A Mass with Guitars". We can't however call such a Mass a "Gay Guitar Mass" because we don't want anyone to think the guitars are gay.
Sister Mary,
The problem is not reaching out to people with same-sex attraction. It is denying Church teaching on homosexual acts and not not teaching that those who suffer with same-sex attraction that they as everybody have to live lives of chastity withing their state of life.
Unfortunately groups like Courage who actually are faithful to the Church are not being promoted and instead we get people who deny that homosexuality is a sin - which is zero help to them. All of us sinners would like are favorite sin supported, but that would be to our detriment.
Jeff: That sure sounds like the "one and only" Sister Mary Martha to me.
"Gay mass"? What a coincidence! I am stocking up on my pinto beans right now for May gas!
I do not know why the homosexual community does not (literally) take a page from Luther and arbitrarily take some pages out of the Bible.
I found another follow-up article that sets everything right:
"... [A representative from the archdiocese] clarified that by 'gay mass' Fr Godfrey was going to celebrate a mass that is 'really really lame.
"'Father clearly outlined a plan whereby the mass would be celebrated with a lot of touchy-feely hand-holding, arm-waving, songs with only eight lines but 20 repetitions,' he paused, 'oh yeah, and guitars. Lots and lots of guitars.' To top off the lameness, the mass is said to include liturgical dance performed by talentless losers driven by desire to 'be in spotlight no matter the cost to personal dignity.'
"Amen to that, San Francisco, amen to that."
Good news that it's not a mass nor supported by the archdiocese. Unfotunately I can't say the same about my own diocese, in which there is a chruch that has a "Mass for Gay and Lesbian Community" every two weeks and seems to have approval of the diocese, unless you mean to tell me the bishop isn't aware of what's on the diocese's official website.
I read the transcript on the website. It wasn't a Mass. The whole thing started with Haugen's "All Are Welcome". I guess that was the penitential portion of the service.
Interestingly, they also featured Pablo Casals' "Nigra Sum". I guess they expected that everyone there understood Latin, as they never did explain what that meant.
This script really made me count my blessings, as the 'theologian' claimed that Jesus said he'd come to "call sinners" so as to make us know no shame.
Um. Well, yeah, once our sins are forgiven and we quit doing said shameful sins, then we won't feel shame. But you can't skip those in-between steps!
I think they mean well. But holy crud, you're not doing anyone any favors if you encourage people to die in their sins, instead of die to them.