CALIFORNIA
The Raw Story
By David Ferguson
Thursday, March 6, 2014
The arrival of a new conservative Catholic bishop in the diocese of Berkeley, California has meant that a popular, gay, progressive priest has been ousted from his job. The East Bay Express reported that neither the clergy nor the parishioners at Newman Hall Holy Spirit Parish in Berkeley were given any say in the matter.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, said the Express, Father Bernard Campbell delivered a sermon on anger, sadness and bitterness. He then made the abrupt announcement that he and openly gay priest Father Bill Edens would be leaving Newman Hall on the orders of newly installed bishop Michael Barber.
Barber reportedly dismissed Campbell and one other priest and has announced that worship at Newman Hall will be taking on a “major redirection,” a phrase parishioners find ominous.
Campbell and Ednes are favorites among members of Newman Hall. Edens is open about his gay orientation, although he, like all Catholic priests, purports to maintain a celibate lifestyle.
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