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	The Face of "Gay" Clericalism CruxNews.com October 22, 2003 Actively homosexual priests have gotten off scot-free in the wake of the priestly sex scandals, with the exception of pederasts (who constitute the vast majority of priestly pedophilia cases). But in at least one diocese, Altooona-Johnstown (Penn.), homosexual priests are apparently feeling some pressure. Twenty-six priests of that Diocese have secretly formed the Priests Federation of Altoona-Johnstown. They issued a press release (May 15) wherein they note that they are "sworn to complete secrecy to avert the very real threat of retaliation by our diocesan bishop." We got the press release over the Internet, and it was titled "Gay Priests of Diocese A-J in Revolt; Demand Bishop Conceal Molesters, Sue Catholic Activists." Surely that was not the title of the original press release, but that these 26 priests are "gay" or at least "gay-friendly" — or a mixture of the two — is quite obvious from the release. The release says: "Whereas our bishop insists on publicly defending lawsuits against this diocese and thus increasing the threat that more names of our priests be exposed in the media, we demand that our bishop cease and desist his public defense of any and all lawsuits concerning alleged priestly misconduct and instead settle these cases out of court so as to protect the reputation and well being of those priests so named and others that may be revealed in the course of any trial. Whereas our bishop threatens and harasses homosexual priests into fearing for their office, we demand that our bishop cease and desist any and all harassment of homosexual clergy and instead work to protect the reputation and well being of clergy of all sexual orientations." As with Msgr. Campion (see the above New Oxford Note), you notice the great — the excessive and ridiculous — concern with protecting the "reputation" of suspect priests. You also see that the 26 priests are demanding that the bishop conceal the identity of those priests accused of homosexual molestation or rape. In other words, continue the old, failed policy of paying out hush money and reassigning the offender elsewhere, maybe after a little vacation time at one of those sex therapy clinics (some of which are known as "pedophile pipelines"), which have been such notorious failures in curing or successfully treating pedophilia. And what’s this about harassment of homosexual clergy? Harassed for what? For having a homosexual (dis)orientation or for committing homosexual acts? It could be the latter, for the release goes on to say: "Whereas our bishop removed Dr. David Brown [of Goodbye, Good Men book fame] from his position as intake psychologist and from candidacy for the permanent diaconate program due to the incessant demands of several Talibanic conservative clergy and laity, we demand our bishop reinstate Dr. Brown…." So who is Dr. David Brown? Well, all we need do is turn to page 38 of Michael S. Rose’s Goodbye, Good Men: "Dr. David J. Brown, a clinical psychologist who screens candidates for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Pennsylvania,…has gone out of his way to make the case that homosexuality is ‘perfectly normal.’ Brown has argued publicly in many instances that ‘the sin of Sodom was inhospitality,’…and that ‘homosexuality is natural, not unnatural’…. Testifying before the public school board in State College [Penn.], he argued on spiritual grounds for legitimizing homosexuality as an alternative lifestyle in the public schools there. Brown told the board that he was ‘appalled’ that the school district had excluded known militant homosexual speakers from Penn State University from making presentations to teachers at in-service day workshops. Brown was referring to speakers who are on record as promoting homosexuality as an ‘alternative lifestyle’ and who are either homosexuals themselves or homosexual advocates." Well, it sounds like Dr. Brown has no problem with homosexual acts. And the 26 priests want Dr. Brown back. How many homosexuals were waved into the seminary by Dr. Brown, one wonders. But the 26 priests won’t just be satisfied with restoring the status quo. They want revenge. They want to punish those who oppose them. The release says: "We demand that our bishop turn the attention of his legal representation towards stopping the hateful and homophobic actions of George Foster, Brian Barcaro, Dr. Brian Kopp, et al., who are set upon destroying the reputations of homosexual priests…." In other words, sue Foster, Barcaro, Kopp, et al. The release also says, "we demand our bishop suspend Fr. James Foster and Fr. John Nesbella immediately…." And then this: "Whereas our bishop has ordained men to the priesthood over the last several years who are unfit to serve the modern, post-concilular [sic] church, we demand our bishop…review the psychological reports of the men ordained since 1995 and order to counseling all those who are deemed to have…proven inability to serve in the church of Vatican II." In other words, all conservative priests are to be ordered to undergo psychological counseling. This is what one reads about in Goodbye, Good Men: Conservative seminarians are ordered to counseling in order to get them to question their orthodoxy or, failing that, be thrown out. The 26 priests also demand that the bishop "cease and desist from sending seminarians to the present rigid seminaries used by our diocese…." Of course, "rigid" is the favored code word for "orthodox." The Gang of 26 also demand that the bishop "examine all present and future seminarians in greater psychological depth to determine their fitness and desire to serve the modern church." In other words, continue the harassment of orthodox seminarians. Happily, these fag and/or fag-friendly priests do stop short of calling for ritual murder of their foes. But on the other hand! The Wanderer (June 26) reports that "A criminal investigation by postal authorities and state police has been launched in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Pa., to determine who the priests are who have been sending threatening letters" to three newly ordained priests of the Diocese. It seems to be assumed that the threatening letters may have some connection to the Gang of 26. According to The Johnstown Tribune Democrat (June 15), the anonymous threatening letters have demanded that the three priests "leave the priesthood or face the consequences." According to the Altoona Mirror (June 18), Cpl. Darron Stratton of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the State Police allowed that the threat of "consequences" may mean an intent to do "bodily harm." Could that be why it’s called the Lavender Mafia? The press release from the Gang of 26 also says this: "We believe that it is better to have fewer clergy…than to have many rigid and juridical priests…." This is precisely the modus operandi in many seminaries. As Archbishop Elden F. Curtiss has written: "It seems to me that the vocations ‘crisis’ is precipitated by people who want to change the Church’s agenda, by people who do not support orthodox candidates…, and by people who actually discourage viable candidates from seeking priesthood…. I am personally aware of certain vocations directors, vocations teams and evaluation boards who turn away candidates who do not support the possibility of ordaining women or who defend the Church’s teaching about artificial birth control, or who exhibit a strong piety toward certain devotions, such as the rosary" (as quoted in Goodbye, Good Men, pp. 2-3). And imagine: There are those who doubt there’s a civil war going on in the Church We can talk about dissent and heresy and apostasy. But what drives it? It’s primarily driven by the Lavender Mafia in the seminaries, priesthood, and episcopate. As the Anglican historian Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) said, "No man’s Religion ever survives his Morals." Before the New Oxford Review became Catholic in 1983, we were Episcopalian, and we watched the more genteel Episcopalian branch of the Lavender Mafia, with its feminist allies, take over that Church and destroy its Christian integrity. In the U.S. Catholic Church, the Lavender Mafia — along with its allies — is still in place. The do-or-die battle for the American Church continues.
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