Posted on 04/27/2007 7:55:09 AM PDT by NYer
The BBC is to relay a 'gay Mass' from San Francisco this Sunday, the first time such a service has been broadcast.
The 50-minute Mass at the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in the predominantly gay Castro district of the city will feature prayers and readings tailored for the gay community.
The church has been described as an "inspiration" to gay and lesbian Christians around the world because of its ministry to homosexuals.
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Its parish priest, Father Stephen Meriweather, blesses participants in the San Francisco's annual gay pride march.
But it has also infuriated many Catholics in the U.S. who have complained about such activities as transvestite bingo nights during which sex toys and pornographic DVDs were handed out as prizes.
Last night a media watchdog said Sunday's radio broadcast was "bound to cause offence" to mainstream Christians.
John Beyer of Mediawatch UK, an organisation which campaigns for standards in the media, said he thought it was a mistake to broadcast the service.
"Religious broadcasting, apart from Songs of Praise, tends to focus on the out-of-the-ordinary and having this particular service I think will cause offence to people who feel that such practices are wrong and are taught as such in holy scripture," Mr Beyer said.
"The BBC really ought to be focusing on mainstream services which are more in keeping with the public service requirement that it has."
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."
The recording will go out at 8.10am to two million listeners on the BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship programme.
The preacher will be James Alison - a homosexual British Catholic theologian and author of 'Is it ethical to be Catholic? - Queer perspectives'.
Weeks after the BBC finished recording the service last October, it emerged that a transvestite group calling themselves the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence regularly staged lewd and irreverent bingo nights on the church premises.
The San Francisco archdiocese-stopped the events when it was discovered that prizes of a sexual nature were being handed out by the group, who dress as nuns.
In the past members of the group have paraded naked through the city advertising a 'hunky Jesus' contest. Their motto is: 'Go and sin some more.'
A spokesman for BBC Radio 4 said: "The strength of Sunday Worship is its diversity. It aims to reflect a variety of Christian spiritualities, and for that reason, when editorially appropriate - on average about once a quarter - comes from outside the UK.
"Taking the theme "Finding a place in the Christian narrative" this programme comes from the largest and oldest predominantly gay area in the world, from a Catholic community which has an experienced and developed understanding of the issues of being gay and Christian.
"As far as we know this is the first time the subject of being gay and Christian has been explored by the programme."
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.
Recall too that at His crucifixion, ALL of the Apostles, except for St. John, fled their Lord. Our Lord assured us that the Holy Spirit would guide His Church and that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. He never said the Church would be comprised of sinless men. In the 2000 years of its existence, the Catholic Church has never erred in its doctrine, testimony to the assurances made by Jesus Christ.
Please cite some examples.
Write this: before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Saviour were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. (83) |
As I was praying for Poland, I heard the words: I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming. (1732) |
Venerable Anne Katherine Emmerich: PRAY FOR THE CHURCH OF DARKNESS TO LEAVE ROME!AMEN. AMEN. AMEN.
From what I've seen that works both ways. And frankly I'm not one of them.
"I have no RC colleagues on FR."
Yes, you do, me and other Catholics like me.
Thanks for the ping, Youngstown!
You're welcome, TA!
I wanted to acknowledge that the points that our friends from other faiths made on this thread were right on the money in this case - and that goes for every other inconsistancy and absurdity that has been foisted upon all concerned from Roncalli/John23 onward.
The Four Marks by which the Church were to be known were One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
The "Church of Vatican 2" is none of these.
Confer the references above.
Why do you even care? And you clearly attack the Cathlic Church every time their is a thread on the topic.
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These people get some sort of erotic perverted pleasure, like touting forbidden stuff, out doing these things, and then again when they print it.
It’s disgusting, and the more bold they get, we can rest assured they will get worse, as the thrill wears off for them, or they feel the “forbidden factor” is deminished, even if it isn’t. First it was unwed mothers, (seems so long ago that was taboo) and just look how far the immoral activists have come in their actions! How much worse can it get!
Don’t you remember this group? Disgusting. Abomination of Desolation.
You really want to throw up?
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/nov/06111709.html
RCs have made that point since before I joined FR
And how very right you are! Evil know no bounds. If we as Christians don’t stand together and fight evil instead of acting like children over who is better than the other,we are the ones who lose and evil wins.
A Jebbie. Imagine my surprise.
The Pope can’t micromanage the whole world. That’s what BISHOPS are for. Where’s the Bishop on this? Why’s he SILENT AND NOT PUTTING A STOP TO IT???
If I called myself a Jew but refused to follow any tenets of the Jewish religion, I would not be Jewish. Similarly, if anyone calls themselves Catholic but chooses not to follow what the Church teaches, they AREN'T *truly* Catholic at all.
There are certain dogmas and doctrines in the Roman Catholic faith one MUST believe to be a Catholic in good standing. If one publicy dissents from the official teaching of the Church in these matters, he or she is a heretic.
Everything you said is true however I do wish we had more courageous Bishops who would speak out against these abominations and DISICPLINE those dissenting. I don’t think the Bishops are bad men, just cowards by the looks of it.
technical point:
“If I called myself a Jew but refused to follow any tenets of the Jewish religion, I would not be Jewish.”
You may wish to take a look at this post by Dennis Prager, which gives fascinating insight: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1642854/posts
“I dont think the Bishops are bad men, just cowards by the looks of it.”
I would like to think so too, but there are bishops, priests, and wouldn’t doubt even cardinals who are very bad men indeed. These bad men have wormed their way into the hierarchy, and are eating it from the inside out (IMHO).
“”Being gay is not special,” he said. “It’s simply another gift from God who created us as rainbow people.” “
OK...I guess that answers my question concerning Father’s orientation.
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