Priest Advises a “Brokeback Lent”, Homily Encourages Propaganda Film

LifeSite ^ | March 7, 2006 | John-Henry Westen

[NYer]

Priest Advises a “Brokeback Lent”, Homily Encourages Propaganda Film

By John-Henry Westen

BOSTON, March 7, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain, besides winning three Oscars over the weekend, has shown itself as an adept tool for outing dissidents within the Catholic Church.  While committed Catholics have seen in the film as a dangerous propaganda tool which normalizes homosexuality, left-leaning Catholics have been hard-pressed to outdo one another in lauding the film.

First, the director for the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting Harry Forbes gushed over Brokeback saying, "Director Ang Lee tells the story with a sure sense of time and place, and presents the narrative in a way that is more palatable than would have been thought possible.”  (the review was substantially altered after LifeSiteNews.com exposed it http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121607.html) 

Also, a prominent Dominican Leader, Rev. Tom Condon, student master for St. Martin de Porres Province of the Dominicans, lauded the film as “an engrossing story, a plea for tolerance, and a sad, emotional film that will touch anyone who has ever been in love.” ( http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06020703.html) 

Shortly thereafter, the liberal associate editor of Canada’s largest Catholic newspaper – the archdiocese of Toronto’s Catholic Register, extolled the films portrayal of the homosexual acts saying, “When the gay cowboy lovers first discover a way to be authentic with each other - truthful about their basic sexual attractions and the source of their happiness in each other - they achieve a resemblance to truth itself." (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06021508.html)

 Finally, the new Archbishop of San Francisco, whose installation was appreciatively received by the homosexual community, called the film “very powerful”. (http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06021306.html)

The latest example has Father John Allan Loftus, S.J. the Director of the Jesuit Urban Center at the Boston Church of the Immaculate Conception recommending a “Brokeback Lent.”  In his homily for Ash Wednesday, March 1, Loftus urged congregants to watch the film. “I suspect many in this community have already seen Brokeback Mountain,” he said. “If not see it; if you have, see it again and reflect on the consequences of not being interiorly free, the consequences of not knowing who you really are and want to become, the tragic consequences and subsequent devastation that comes from only living in a ‘pretend’ world.”

Rev. Loftus proposed, contrary to Catholic teaching, that sexual sin is not real sin, whereas not giving in to one's desires is sin. “For too many of us, what we think of as ‘our sinfulness,’ our not yet even being the full human beings we are created to become, remains a paltry and cheap catalogue of peccadillos, usually having something to do with sex or not being ‘charitable’ toward each other.  Those so-called ‘sins’ are hardly worth setting aside 40 days each year to ponder; those sins of yours or mine are hardly worth mentioning, really.”  Loftus continued, “There is something much bigger at stake here than my petty sinfulness, my unkindness, my frustrated sex life, or my infuriating love life.  The sin that is before us always is our refusal to grow into the freedom for which we were born.”

The fact that Brokeback Mountain is a propaganda film to normalize homosexuality has been attested to by even the secular media, but has also been analyzed as such by an expert in the field.  Dr. R. Winfield, in an article on the controversial film writes, “Having studied propaganda and its effects on societies for over 50 years, I can state unequivocally that the film Brokeback Mountain is one of the most blatant propaganda pieces of recent times.”

Winfield’s must-read analysis of the film points out that scenery, music and lighting were all expertly utilized in the film to create a “most effective” piece of propaganda which “comes in under the radar, it's innocuous and appeals to our humanity and emotions.”  (see the full analysis: http://www.rense.com/general69/prop.htm )

To contact Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley about Fr. Loftus

Seán Cardinal O'Malley, OFM Cap
Archbishop of Boston
Office:
2121 Commonwealth Av.
Boston, MA 02135-3192
Phone: 617-782-2544
FAX: 617-782-8358
http://www.rcab.org/Information/contactform.html

---

[jdm]

He looks kinda like the BTK killer.

[NYer]

Loftus continued, “There is something much bigger at stake here than my petty sinfulness, my unkindness, my frustrated sex life, or my infuriating love life.  The sin that is before us always is our refusal to grow into the freedom for which we were born.”

I am absolutely speechless! This past Friday, our awesome pastor offered up reflections on Christ's agony, at each Station of the Cross. Our Lord freely chose that suffering to redeem us .... and Father John Allan Loftus, S.J This same Lord and Savior offers us His Divine Mercy. May this priest avail himself of these gifts before it is too late.

[SAMS]

Coming out of Boston, why are we surprised?

[socialismisinsidious]

First the disco mass and now this?!

I'm speechless.

[Rapscallion]

Standby. The Inquisition starts very soon. To straighten out the Catholic Church they will have to purge it. Wise men would leave now.

[NYer]

First the disco mass and now this?!

The 'progressive' element is still a factor in the church. They realize their days are numbered under this pontiff and are fighting back with all their might. They deserve nothing less than a Ratzinger smackdown!

[madprof98]

If not see it; if you have, see it again and reflect on the consequences of not being interiorly free, the consequences of not knowing who you really are and want to become, the tragic consequences and subsequent devastation that comes from only living in a ‘pretend’ world.”

In other words, Vicki Gene Robinson is a saint. A man who remained faithful to his wife and helped raise his little girls - while fighting homosexual temptations - would be a grave sinner. And up is down, black is white, etc.

[bayourant]

Why cant we get the JEsuits under control. It wasnt enough that they were endorsing LIberation Theolgyin the 80's and backing the commies. I have really no clue how Rome works but it baffles my mind that this stuff continues.

[bayourant]

I have heard of that Domincan before too "Condon" some place before. I think he is a serial trouble maker

[magisterium]

This individual, like the Bishop of Orange, CA and his henchman referenced in several recent threads, is a "spiritual murderer." That's all he is. He's another one who either hasn't read or refused to absorb Matthew 18:5-7. He needs our prayers even as we storm the Jesuit order and the Vatican to insist on his forced laicization. He's worse than useless.

We should start thinking of such people in this way, and then our perspective will not be dulled by the familiarity with them that our current circumstances make ubiquitous and inevitable. Over time, this breed will go the way of the dodo, but that happy day is still a long way off. With God's grace, Benedict is laying down the foundation for that day. He may not get everything done to right this ship, but his efforts may yet allow us to see a full Restoration in our lifetimes.

In the meantime, as far as I'm concerned, Fr. Loftus, Bishop Tod Brown, Fr. Tran and all of the others mentioned here on FR who are of similar stripe should be having just two words directed at them: "Anathema sit!"

(And that's *not* a command directed at a dog named Anathema!) ;-D

[vox_freedom]

This from the same archdiocese that had hundreds/thousands of innocent children molested by homosexual priests who were enabled by Cardinal Law and his chancery officials. Not surprising that there would now be homilies urging attendance at this despicable and scandalous movie.

[Nihil Obstat]

Do you think Fr. Loftus urged congregants to see the Passion of the Christ when it came out? I wonder.

Also, I wonder if anyone can comment on his book, published by OCP...

Understanding Sexual Misconduct by Clergy
A Handbook for Ministers
John Allan Loftus, S.J.

This down-to-earth book is the result of the author's many years of experience in counseling priests, brothers and sisters accused of sexual misconduct. It includes advice on establishing professional boundaries, avoiding unseemly situations, detecting and describing misconduct, and much more. 80 pages, size: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", ISBN: 1-56929-024-5

[Old_Mil]

If Pope Benedict wished to make one single, firm statement about where he wishes the Catholic church to go, he could do so by disbanding the Jesuits.

[markomalley]

In re: disco mass,

This heresy may have been delivered in a perfectly executed Mass with a wonderful schola cantorum performing the Kyrie, the Sanctus, the Pater Noster, and the Agnus Dei in beautiful Latin polyphony.

The issue is that the message is heresy.

The other issue is that with the apostate USCCB serving as our leadership in this country, this "priest" will undoubtedly be praised for delivering that heresy.

[magisterium]

Amen!

(There are precedents...)

[warsaw44]

Listen - We are not all a bunch of monolithic rump rangers here in Boston.
You and many other non New Englanders should have seen the men at the Boston Men's Catholic Conference this last weekend.
Father John Corapi spoke twice to the group and vehemently spoke against the homosexual invasion of our Church. He spoke against Kerry and any politician who endorses abortion, he called Boston the Baghdad of the US - all of this to thunderous applause by 5,300 Catholic men of New england. Most of whom where from Boston. Each time he spoke he was interrupted by men calling out in agreement and cheering what he had to say. The lines to meet him after his talks were the longest in the conference.
Others who spoke against the liberal filth in our Church also meet with approval.

[SAMS]

Glad to hear it. But, since most of the news I hear, regarding the Catholic Church, coming out of Boston is fairly negative, that is what I based my comment on. Get the word out and educate the rest of us. And, BTW I'm familiar with the good people of Massachusetts. I have lots of family there.

[Unam Sanctam]

I did hear that there will be a new leader chosen for the Jesuits in a couple of years, so something may be in the works. Let's hope so. And to think that one of the Jesuits' original claims to fame was a special vow of obedience to the Pope!

[Kolokotronis]

Bunch of heretics, NYer. You people really ought to do something about this, you know.

[kenth]

The U.S. Church needs a cleansing.

[Tax-chick]

You people really ought to do something about this, you know.

As P.J. O'Rourke so eloquently stated, "I could throw up, but how would that help?"

[visualops]

I've got to wonder why that good dissection of Brokeback's propaganda is housed at a rat's nest website of conspiracy theories, anti-semitism and holocaust denials.

[Palladin]

Why didn't some real man in the congregation just walk up there casually to the pulpit and thrash that arrogant faggot priest?

[Pittsburg Phil]

The Catholic clergy is fagged up. It needs a good cleansing, that's for sure.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

My idea of a Brokeback Lent - taking the "Catholic" dissidents out back and breaking in their backs on the rack before a nice stretching with the rope. They can learn of the penitiential and cleansing qualities of bodily pain for prufiying the mind of dissent.

I suppose this isn't what Fr. Loftus was getting at though.

[Palladin]

In a couple of years!?! Why wait a couple of years?

I fear I will not see the cleansing of the Church in my lifetime. (I'm 74 years old.)

Hurry up, Benedict. Please get on with it!

[Convert from ECUSA]

"They realize their days are numbered under this pontiff and are fighting back with all their might. They deserve nothing less than a Ratzinger smackdown! "

May Pope Benedict XVI come down on them like stink on an old hog, and then commence to hurt them! BAM!

[Cheverus]

A little background: The Jesuit Urban Center (aka Immaculate Conception) is for all intents and purposes an independent Catholic Church located in Boston's South End. It's not a Canonical Parish...the Jesuits were set to sell it a couple of years ago and stripped but then it was declared a historic site so they had to keep it.

It's basically a homosexual quasi-Catholic Church, it's where that nun got in trouble for vesting during a baptism a couple of years ago.

While Immaculate Conception was a very popular place up until the 60s for normal Catholics (due to very generous hours for confessions and plenty of Priests) these days with the Jesuits going off the rails most Bostonians don't even know it exists.

It's actually where Paul Shanley worked out of during his "ministry"

[Barney Gumble]

Well I guess now I didn't hear the worst homily on Ash Wednesday. (I heard one about global warming and how Americans use of oil will destroy the earth)

[redgolum]

It almost appears that there are totally different churches depending on what diocese you wander into.

The difference is all the more apparent to me when we moved from Nebraska to Iowa. In Nebraska (Lincoln and Omaha diocese), the biggest difference would be how many servers there were. In Iowa, in the churches my wife has attended there have been pro homo sermons, global warming sermons, churches with out crosses, etc.

If you were to take a complete outsider and show him the congregations here and in Nebraska, and then asked him to determine if they were the same type of denomination, he couldn't do it.

Perhaps I am used to more uniformity, but this is nuts!

[SaltyJoe]

"how Rome works"

The puss must come to a boil before it's lanced and the disease runs out.

Because mortal man only lasts a short lifetime, it's hard to imagine the Church in any worse condition. But I'm sure history would prove that the Church has survived much much worse times than these. The fever has broke and we've scarcely recognized the victory because many Parishes are still in a dangerously weakened state. It's not over yet.

Someone told me of a good story of the Middle Ages concerning a Jew that was interested in the Catholic Church. The Jew told his friend, a Catholic priest, that he was off to Rome and would return. Fearing that his Jewish friend would be displeased with all of the corruption he'd see in Rome, the priest begged that he could Baptize him before he departed. But the Jew, advanced in years, was hardly worried. He left without the Sacrament, saw Rome, and returned as he promised.

"Baptize me. I've seen enough." said the Jewish friend.

"How is this possible?" wondered the priest.

"That Catholicism has lasted this long in spite of all it's abuses, corruption, and scandals even at the heart of its holiest of capitals only proves that God is truly present in the Catholic Church."

If Christianity were any other mere idea or organization either diabolic or human in origin, we would have vanished without any serious thought. But because Jesus has adopted us as brothers and sisters Baptized in the Spirit of God, we have become the adopted descendants of Abraham and the recipients of God's Promise for Salvation.

[Campion]

This down-to-earth book is the result of the author's many years of experience in counseling priests, brothers and sisters accused of sexual misconduct.

Did he tell them that the only real "sexual misconduct" was not giving in to one's desires? I wonder ...

[TheSpottedOwl]

I'd like to take an "authentic" iron frying pan to some of these idiots.

Hey whatever you do, be "authentic"! I cannot believe that a priest would recommend seeing this movie to his parishoners. The Pope needs to examine this priest's "authenticity" regarding Catholicism. Priests like him are the reason I quit going.

[NYer]

It almost appears that there are totally different churches depending on what diocese you wander into.

Unfortunately, it all hinges on the bishop. Where more progressive bishops reign, 'novelties' are commonplace. First and foremost, know your rights! The regulations that govern the elements of the Mass are contained in the GIRM (General Instructions of the Roman Missal). The best summation of these, however, was compiled by Bruce Sabalaskey, web master of Our Ladys Warriors site. The site is still up but he can no longer devote the time he once did. Though some of the links are broken, begin by reading his excellent article ......

Is Your Mass Valid? - Liturgical Abuse.

Let this serve as a guideline for the Masses you attend. If needs be, switch parishes and look for the smaller ones where the more orthodox priests are often sent by the progressive bishops.

Unfortunately, there are no Eastern Catholic Churches in Iowa or I would suggest you attend one of those liturgies. After battling liturgical abuse in my diocese, I began attending the Maronite Catholic Church two years ago, which has been like an oasis in the desert. A truly holy priest, solid catholic catechesis in his homilies and utter reverence for our Lord present in the Eucharist and His Blessed Mother. Best of all, the liturgy is fixed; there are no novelties, no dancers, no communion in the hand, and no EMHCs.

[jtal]

Why cant we get the JEsuits under control?

I think the order was suppressed three centuries too early.

[NYer]

Is this the same church where John Kerry celebrated Mass during the previous presidential campaign?

[redgolum]

There is a Byzantine Catholic church in Davenport, and I told my wife that she might like it there. When my in laws come to town, I might be able to convince them to go to that.

[truemiester]

Great, another black eye for Catholics from the liberal underminning squad.

[magisterium]

I was there, as well. I especially liked the tweak Fr. Corapi gave to the archdiocese when he railed against the "Catholic politicians in Massachusetts and elsewhere" who have been allowed to act as they do while they go unchallenged as "Catholics." It was an indirect slap, but a needed one. And Fr. Corapi got a standing-o for it!

You're right, we are hardly a monolithic group of rump rangers up here. But we will have to listen to the abuse for as long as we are perceived as doing nothing about it. 5300 men got their marching orders last Saturday at that conference. I think they're of a mind to start "doing something" about it! The entire New England province, and the Archdiocese of Boston in particular, will soon be put on notice, by these men and those they influence, that they had better pay more attention to the doctrine of the Faith and the rank-and-file believers in that Faith, than they do to the politicians and "beautiful people" around here whom they schmooze to gain money and political influence - the attainment of which reliably winds-up being ill-served and counterproductive to the ends of our beliefs anyway.

[Romish_Papist]

I think another suppression may be in order.

[magisterium]

No. That was at the Paulist Center, right across from the Boston Common and the state house. Same difference, though, as they're both cut from the same bolt of cloth.

I have fantasies that, one day, the archbishop of Boston will say the same words to these clowns that one of his predecessors, Cardinal O'Connell, is reported to have said to a religious order that displeased him: "Get out of my diocese, and take your dead with you!"

[Barney Gumble]

I live in Houston, not Iowa. What is "EMHC"

[trisham]

Hurry up, Benedict. Please get on with it!

****************

Pope Benedict will have his hands full cleaning up the Church, not just in Boston, but here in the US. I believe he is up to it, although prayers can never hurt.

[NYer]

I live in Houston, not Iowa.

Copied you in on the response to the other freeper. Have you considered attending an Eastern Catholic Church ? (Same faith; different flavor).

What is "EMHC"

Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

[warsaw44]

That was a great Saturday, wasn't it? I so enjoyed the day. The men there were obviously thirsting for the message that Father Corapi and others had to say.
I think the men in our part of the world need to start saying something to the priests in their parish when a problem arises. When the sermon or practices are counter to the teachings of Christ and the practices of The Church - say something. Or walk out! I've done it. I walked out of a total abomination of a service just a month or so ago.
If we just sit there docile, cap in hand, the abuses will continue.

[Barney Gumble]

I hadn't ever really thought about a Eastern church.

What's wrong with Eucharistic minsiters?