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GAYS CAN DO NO WRONG!

Readers will have seen a few comments on yesterday’s blog saying that I was “despised” in the gay community for “outing” gay clerics and monks.

Behind this is the supposition that gays should always protect and cover for other gays – no matter what wrong those gays are doing.

What is the difference between gays covering up for each other and priests and the church covering up for priests, monks and bishops.

The covering up of wrong doing is wrong no matter which person, group or community is doing the covering up.

I have never publicly criticised individual priests who are in loving, responsible, authentic and caring relationships with another human being. In fact I have helped, and celebrated the marriages and blessing of such people.

God’s 10 commandments apply to gays and the gay community as much as it does to heterosexuals.

Gays, as well as straights have to have some moral boundaries and an ethic.

And gay priests, monks and bishops have taken public vows of celibacy and chastity.

And on the basis of those public vows they get respect, authority and material possessions bestowed upon them.

Purcell

It is hypocritical of such people to publicly pose as chastitutes and at the same time to be cynically getting their ends away.

And there is a MASSIVE difference between a cleric involved in a committed relationship with another (although forbidden) and a cleric who is on the promiscuous scene, on Grindr etc, and frequenting saunas like the Boilerhouse and having the extreme forms of sex.

If you want to be a Christian ( and no one is forced to be) and especially a cleric or monk, there are still Christian morals, teachings and ideals to hold oneself too.

No holes barred sex and Christianity are not compatible.

And I am not talking in anyway as a sinless one – even on sexual matters.

In 1973 I had the briefest of sexual encounters with a young man my age.

I confessed the encounter as a sin the next morning at 7 am.

In the early 1980s I had another brief sexual encounter with a man my age and I confessed the encounter as a sin the next morning.

In 1984 Cahal Daly put me on sacking notice and I was from the RC priesthood by July 1986.

During some counselling and therapy, that was partially focused on my sexuality, after 1986 I did some exploring of my sexuality – exploring most people do between the age of 15 and 25.

That exploring was with consensual adults and I always approached it carrying my emotions very much with me. I am either blessed or cursed by needing to have intimacy that involves emotions. I find totally emotionless intimacy as being, for me, empty and disheartening.

I am indeed now well freed from my emotional and sexual Catholic guilt and anxiety.

A very important thing for me as a Christian to achieve was to integrate my sexuality with my spirituality. That was a minor part of my exploration too.

This was especially important as I was a

victim of:

1. Childhood sexual abuse by another male.

2. Had Catholic repression and guilt foisted on me for so many years.

I have written about this in my 2095 book

But I can still sin, I can still do wrong in every way including sexually.

Sin has not been abolished.

In my own case I have been absolutely open about my sexuality for well over 20 years now.

I have had two relationships – one lasting 16 years and my current one lasting 13 years.

I have never been in a gay sauna as I would find the atmosphere there far too impersonal and demoralising.

I imagine very few people find love in a sauna?

OBJECTIVE (NOT SUBJECTIVE) SINS THAT CAN OCCUR IN THE GAY COMMUNITY

Deliberately giving another person HIV or an STI.

Lying about your sexual health.

Cheating on your partner.

Drugging a person’s drink.

Getting sex by pretending to love or care.

Telling lies and making up fake identities and stories.

Of course all these faults are also very common in Straight Street.

Anyway, I think we have enough material to discuss in the above, today.

PS

I don’t mind being despised.

It’s actually a sign that you’ve done something 😊

108 replies on “GAYS CAN DO NO WRONG!”

Said by a wise man:
I believe that in this world it is impossible to understand God.
I believe that God made this wonderful universe and all that exists.
I can find God in nature, in animals, in birds and the environment.
I believe that God made all men and women,
That He made them all equal,
And that He loves and cherishes them all equally.
I believe that the whole human race is the family of God.
I believe that there may be intelligent life on other planets
And if so, they too are part of God’s family.
I hold that religion and faith are two different things,
That religion can be both good and bad
And that it is spirituality that counts.
For me your religion is an accident of your birth
Or a gift of God’s great providential diversity.
There is no one true church.
All churches and all religions contain aspects of the truth.
But only God is truth.
No man is infallible.
A Buddhist or a good atheist is as acceptable to God as a good Catholic.
I believe that sex is good and so is the body.
The only sexual act that is sinful is the one that uses or abuses.
I believe in people, especially suffering people.
I believe in the power of weakness.
I believe that all men and women will be saved.
I believe in a packed Heaven and an empty Hell.
And even Satan might get another chance.
I believe in the freedom of God’s sons and daughters.
I believe that dogma is often evil.
I believe that life is a journey towards God
And that no one has the right to insist that you go a certain road.
I believe that God and reality are too big for my poor words.
I believe therefore that I am only at a beginning.
Only knocking at a door.
And I believe that the best is yet to come.
——————————–
ANONYMOUS SAYS:
Does Pat really live by this creed today? It would seem that he relishes the idea of Satan destroying Churchman who have lost their way. He believes that he has the right to insist that closeted gay clergy should go a certain road… to the point that he will ‘out them’ against their will.
Is Pat as wise as he once was? I’ll leave that for the reader to decide

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So refreshing to hear a bishop cracking down on sexual licence. But what’s sad about the charts is how little sexual love there seems to be in the UK.

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I said then in 1994, that sex that uses and abuses is sinful.

It still is.

And that includes people like Kirby of Silverstream and Boilerhouse Purcell of Mount Mellerary.

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“… Relishes the idea of Satan destroying…”?
Could it be more the case those destroying the body of Christ, the Church- the people God that is- are those who are ntologically “changed”?
Scented olive oil, rubbed into one’s hands, it would seem, brings an almost diplomatic-like immunity status along with it: Catholic sacramentology simply does not teach this.
… Anybody who believes it does may possibly be suffering from serious deteriorating mental health, paranoid and delusional…
—-
Could it be the case, Bishop Pat, and other victims of abuse – including their broken families – are acting out of love for the people of God (including the Church and it’s hierarchy as well), and giving us the right to make sound safeguarding decisions – including healthy spiritual choices?
—-
Just look at the global news, including events which are unfolding from within our own Diocesesan communities at this time. —
Bishop Pat, or indeed any other man or woman on this blog, or similar blogs, are not destroying clerics or Our Church: there are always two-sides to every coin…
As painful as it is for me to say: the abuse, destruction and decay is coming from within – from within the very centre; and the damage and pain caused by these abuses is heavily compounded by the constant cover-ups which are being revealed on an almost daily basis.
—-
The person who emotionally and psychologically abuses, is still a child of God and deserves love, respect, forgiveness and healing (as does anybody who physically abuses his / her victims).
However, forgiveness and religious beliefs are completely personal and — and are totally separate to all matters safeguarding.
We can forgive, but we can not put other vulnerable people in danger at the same time; there needs to be a pragmatic approach to safeguarding – and a personal approach to forgiveness.
The two simply cannot, must not, be conflated.
—-
Here is an excerpt from something I was reading this morning.
JOHN The BAPTIST | Selfless Herald of Christ – by Lorenzo Palon (here is the hyperlink to full agehttps://tafj.org/2012/10/09/john-the-baptist-selfless-herald-of-christ/
“It is an understatement to say that John was an eccentric; he wore a camel’s hair cloak and ate locusts and wild honey while living in the wilderness (Mt. 3:1-6). He was, after all, a prophet, and prophets tended to be eccentric counter-cultural figures with a lifestyle that was probably seen as “weird” by their contemporaries. This suited their role as voices of Severe Warning to a spiritually dull public conscience. John the Baptist was an Elijah type (Jn. 1:21), but he was no reincarnation of the old Testament prophet.
Gabriel told Zechariah that John would come “In the spirit and power of Elijah” (Lk. 1:16), that is, God’s spirit and power. Same spirit, same power, new messenger.”
—-
Everything we do must be done in love, and sometimes love can be tough.
“Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” X
– Matthew 19:14

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Pat, thank you for that very honest post. As you know, some of your priest brothers are like yourself in a long term committed partnership. As you say, it is forbidden. But life happens. I’m sure the haters will attack me for saying that. What I do agree with you on, is that wilful promiscuity and hedonism have no justification in Christian life, let alone in the priesthood and the religious state. And what I find most abhorrent, is a promiscuous priest giving out to the laity about morals. And dressing up in frills and lace while doing it. So don’t listen to the haters Pat. And, be discerning in which hateful comments you allow to be published today. There are many haters.

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Several individual Norbertines or certain communities have stood out for prevalence of abuse. As we know it has pretty much finished them in Ireland but they’re still going in the US and have a house of a very trad slant in Chelmsford in England. The abbot there was previously a monk of Farnborough and their community are part of the rent a crowd that Farnborough have to rely on for high mass. These circles all know each other and frankly you would think any group which is really trad would steer well clear of Cuthbert

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I didn’t know about the Farnborough connection. My PP when I lived in Sacred Heart parish in Hove was Fr Mario Sanderson, who had been novice master in Farnborough. As gay as could be.

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I should have added that Fr Mario did our wedding. We had pre-marriage meetings (just my wife to be, me and Mario) in the presbytery. He had no interest in my wife but spent the whole time flirting with me and looking at me with lascivious eyes, accompanied by double entendre, which I hate. A most unsettling experience.
He was eventually driven out of that parish in a putsch led by a Tablet reader who hated the Latin and music he had at the main Sunday Mass. I think Damian Thompson wrote about it at the time.
Mario must be very old now. I think he may have been a Christian Brother at one time too. He never mentioned Farnborough. The last I heard he is in the nursing home in Cross in Hand, where, incidentally, Hugh Thwaites SJ saw out his days.

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That’s a very powerful and unsettling account of Farnborough. The comments below it attest to the widespread nature of the problem. Perhaps Pat might make it a blog subject in its own right.

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@ 1:57 – Wow, there’s a name from the past Fr Hugh Thwaites SJ. Actually, I think he was double barrelled Hugh Simon-Thwaites. Quite a chipper top drawer chap. He was a holy man, but like lots of holy men he was a bit mad. Had the most piercing blue eyes. He did end up at the Latin Mass traditionalist end of the spectrum. I remember him making a young girl cry because when he asked her if she said the rosary every day, and she didn’t, so he told her she would go to Hell ! Her mother took him to task, but he couldn’t care. There was a simplistic naivety about him, which could be unsettling. Interesting back story about being a Japanese POW and his conversion etc. As I say, interesting, holy, charismatic, but quite, quite mad !

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Excellent article by Cardinal Pell. Among other things, he points out that there are more bishops in Ireland than there are seminarians in Maynooth.

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The focus of this blog has traditionally been the clergy, the clerical culture, and the institution of which they are part, the Church. It has never really been about larger moral or ethical issues or other groups of people, whatever their sexuality, their way of life, or their behaviour.
The blog has focussed in particular on the behaviour of the clergy in two main areas – the sexual, physical and emotional abuse of the vulnerable – children and adults – by a group of clerics, over the years and even still; and secondly, on the personal behaviour of clerics, especially in the area of sexual behaviour given their required and publicly professed and undertaken promise to celibacy, as well as the requirements of the Catholic Church in respect of our use of our sexuality.
Within these two areas, the blog has especially focussed on the sexual misbehaviour of gay clergy and seminarians – the likes of Rory, Puck, Gorgeous, Purcell, Maynooth and the rest. Of course, on occasion, heterosexual misbehaviour of clergy is highlighted – people like Dallat. However, for the most part the sexual misbehaviour of clergy seems to fall within the homosexual / gay bracket. This is for the simple reason that a significant number of Catholic clergy in Ireland and the UK, as well as in the USA and other first world countries, are homosexual. One secondary issue which this blog has discussed in the question as to why so many Roman Catholic clergy and seminarians are gay, and the ‘homosexualisation’ of the Roman Catholic priesthood.
A significant number RC clergy who are homosexual do not keep to their promise of celibacy and live a chaste life. They appear to live parallel lives whereby they profess one thing in public, but in private live a completely different life. Claims of the right to a private life and privacy is used by some clergy to justify this mismatch ! Sometimes that alternative life is sexually promiscuous and abusive. Sometimes it might be expressed in more ‘acceptable’ ways within committed, affectionate and loving relationships. I guess that one could make some sort of moral / value judgement about these different ways of living a clerical alternative life – for example, committed, affectionate and loving relationship might well be seen as healthier and more morally decent than a promiscuous expression of sexuality. But, at its heart the issue is really about honesty and integrity.
Most of us do not really care what people do sexually in their private lives, even if they choose to be promiscuous, as long as that expression is respectful, consensual and within the law. That would be the case for clergy as well…..if it were not for the fact that they have professed and promised to live a life that is celibate and chaste and which rules out any relationship that has sexual / genital elements to it. Many clergy appear to say one thing in public, and expect us to believe that they are celibate and chaste, but in private they are living a completely different life. That is damaging to them – they are not personally integrated and do not live a life that is honest to themselves or to others – and it is damaging to the Church and the faithful because we simply cannot believe what our priests are telling us anymore. Such is the fundamental and serious damage done by all of the above to integrity and trust. That is the problem.
If the Church decides that celibacy is not mandatory, even if it decides to change it teaching on sexuality in general, and even if gay clergy were then sexually active, I would not be writing this. I fact, I would hope that one day the Church does take a fresh look at sexuality and its teaching and that includes homosexual behaviour. Until that happens, and until clergy can honestly live the lives that they want to live, openly and transparently, and as long as many clergy are living duplicitous lives, then it is important for all our sakes that this is talked about, pointed out, and clergy are – hopefully – embarrassed in to realising that they have a problem. Maybe they might start to think that they should be doing something else rather than living an existential lie, So, + Pat, I say keep going and doing what you are doing.

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Paragraph 4 above in View from the Pew @09:14 SHOULD READ: “A significant number of RC clergy who are homosexual do not keep to their promise of celibacy and DO NOT live a chaste life.

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Better, I suppose, than some clergy who have kicked the b/f or latest trick out of bed early so that they can get ready for Mass this morning. That’s not an exaggeration or flight of fantasy, either. It will have taken place in many presbyteries this morning across the land.

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He’s probably been working hard all week while she, if she’s anything like her indoors, has been looking at frock catalogues, going to cofee shops, watching ‘Loose Women’ and having bantz on Mumsnet.

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I have read this blog for many years, and I see no evidence of Pat “persecuting” or “outing” anyone for their sexuality. Instead, the value of this blog is that it highlights hypocrisy. Can anyone really defend the pretenders who publicly profess Roman Catholic virtue and yet choose to consistently practice the opposite?

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I’m not a regular bible reader but did read a few here and there.

RCC obsession with sex cos the bible didn’t mention its just sin. Jesus said sin no more as that’s it as I could recall. Rcc huge obsession with women in particular, their bodies. They went against women when celibacy wasn’t around that time cos women have rights to their partners assets such as property and money so on. Rcc weren’t happy with that, did they introduce celibacy around 1100 ad or 1200 in order to get that assets for themselves instead of priest woman partner or married wife. Found rcc anti disability cos they often tend to look down on ourselves, they never worked with us as means of collaboration, just money. I recall years ago there was a PP who wanted to buy our parent home but I objected as they dropped it. Mc aleese getting rcc more and more exposed re her remarks as I found myself agreeing with her despite no fan of her. Her issue re baptism conscription was v v interesting cos we never thought it before and now it had come into light re rcc practices.

RCC exposed as anti women, anti disabilities, anti collaborative, what would jesus say to rcc now? It might be like where he swept off the temple with his anger??

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Pb at 1.04pm
My interest is in exposing rcc for what they did, also their double standards and hypocrisies on their part. That’s based on my experience in institutional schools ran by rcc.
You mention dysfunctional as it says more about you. We are not perfect as christ is. It’s normal that in some ways we are all dysfunctional cos of human flaws and fragility.
Nobody is PERFECT including you or me etc.

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So many anti-gay haters on here who are gay themselves. Those who shout about it the loudest often have big secrets to hide themselves. Classic behaviour. You can spot their posts already on here.

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Absolutely Pat.

As someone once said – the biggest sex organ is the brain. Not your meat and two veg.

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Too much is made out of the right and wrongs of sex. If it’s between consenting adults it’s all good, even if it’s casual.

Trying to elevate it or sacramentalise it is nonsensical.

What I take issue with is, men in holy orders who live lives of rank hypocrisy. Preaching one thing while practising another.

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I ways you are right. But if you call yourself a Christisn, it has moral implications for you.

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Pat. You have freely admitted to having two sexual affairs whilst you were a RC priest. Surely you of all people should be understanding of the weaknesses of others.
Why do you feel the need to put others down while avoiding answer to criticism yourself?

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Polls are meaningless and prove nothing. It’s farcical to rely on and quote them. Political polls are a prime example.

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Think Fr p Buckley might feel a lot aggrieved over rcc treatment on himself which led to the creation of this blog. Does it?

Hell hath no fury like a priest fr Buckley scorned…..

Did rcc make any attempts to shut down this blog? , just wondering that’s all.

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Sexual “partners?” Sexual “encounters” would be a better description. I used to have loads of sexual encounters with men in days gone by, even when it was supposed to be illegal, trade we used to call.

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Yes, “partner” is really stretching it. Many times the people in my encounters didn’t even speak and I rarely knew their names.

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12.49: Pat: as a Roman Catholic Priest, you broke your vows: simple as, with 2 sexual encounters. And these encounters are all you tell us about and they had consequences for you u, sadly. The fact that you went to confession doesn’t nullify the reality of what you did, that you broke your vows. Yet, you were “happy” to receive God’s mercy. Rightly so. You went through much inner pain, hurt and conflict re: your sexual identity. How can you, in conscience, justify your smashing to pieces other individuals who may likewise be deeply conflicted about their sexual identity, priests particularly? What gives you a greater moral right to do so, considering your own truth, realities and inappropriate behaviour – by your own standards?? Pat, your predilection for judgment and condemnation of others is nauseating. Each of us, individually, whoever we may be, must live to the highest human ideals and, as supposed followers of Christ or as clerics, we must always strive for the highest and the most moral of virtues and ideals. If criminal or abusive behaviour have occurred, we have civil courts to make judgments and ensure justice is done. To use the personal moral and spiritual failings of targeted individuals in a deliberate nasty, vengeful manner is repulsive and I suspect that many commenters have their own private pecadillos that, if known, would send them running for cover. It’s easy to promulgate moral condemnations behind a laptop!! I go to confession to remind me always of my sinfulness and fragilities but to also realise that I cannot ever afford to judge others to the point of personal humiliation and crucifixion. My going to confession doesn’t make me more virtuous than any other sinner.

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I think there is a big difference between an ackward, immature and repressed fumble in the dark followed by Confession and priests, monks and seminarians practising BDSM, breaking each other’s wrists and ripping apart anal tissue, requiring hospitalisation and reparative surgery.
Do you not?

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Don’t be giving out to Pat. I know he annoys people. And yes, some of the stuff on the blog has been a bit much. Of course it has. We all know that. Pat used to work for the News of the World don’t forget.
But the truth is, the clerical layer of the church is turning towards the right. Taking after that German Queen Benedict. And many of these right wing priests are promiscuous homosexuals. Not saying old Benji was doing that by the way.
But if such priests are promulgating all this right wing crap, then their personal lives should reflect this. If their personal lives do not, then they should either get off the train now, or, be a true and honest shepherd to the people of God. Ditch the moralistic homilies, the lace, the big Roman collars.

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Indeed. When the RCC left me penniless the NOW gave me a week’s wages every week for 11 years and a fair share of junkets like attending the party conferences every year.

I found more friendship, caring and support in the NOW than in the RCC. Strange?

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By Post Author

I loved your News of the World columns, Pat. I wish you were still writing for a paper.

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Thank you. It’s no longer published.

They fell over the phone hacking.

Incidentally, they hacked my phone too and had to compensate me 😉

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By Post Author

Amazing, Pat, that they wanted to make you homeless and cut off your income just for speaking your mind, yet for years they house and fund MIA abusers, even old Uncle Ted is nicely retired off. Fr Quigley was housed for years and the likes of Fr Brendan Smyth lived in Kilnacrott all found, despite his abuse being known by his abbot and the local bishop.
It is very hard to understand their mindset.

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1.37, the usual diversion. Pat and friends have mentioned more than sex. The intercontinental trail of misdeeds (including monetary) is difficult (because of salami slicing and coercion) to follow up in “courts to make judgments and ensure justice is done”. Flawed as some older Roman teachings were, whose idea was it to throw the best of that out the window and with what motive? When young men contemplate seminary on sentimental and not solid grounds is it right for ghouls to home in on them and manipulate them? It’s not up to states but to us – you and me – to help clergy of goodwill to police whether the church assists our spiritual growth or not. Have you been to confession about your complacency about misuse of power in churches? Those young guys that were not just “slipping up” have been called out, also the old sly ones that know how to incite them and strike deals behind scenes.

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What, 2.25?! Practically all Dicken’s literary characters were not just the proverbial ‘larger than life’; they were sectionable. (The polite literary equivalent is ‘utterly surreal’.)

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Pat. Glad you have had 2 long term relationships. I see you like younger foreign types? Same as me. I thought you had it off with Fr Tom Butler at seminary and I am sure you were a couple for a while? Didn’t you say that a few years ago on here? He’s retired now with his Army Pension overlooking the sea in Blackpool, Lancs.

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One of my partners was Irish, not foreign. I never “had it off” with Father Tom Butler. He wanted to go down that road and at the time and I could not go there.

By rejecting him in that way and by discussing it with the seminary spiritual director I unintentionally hurt him.

I know he is retired early. I wish him well.

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Ah thanks for clarifying Pat. Hopefully he can find a partner as well now if he is out of it.

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He didn’t really look after himself during his Army days. Too much drinking and smoking. Takes its toll. i guess he can’t be much more than 65 ? Lucky him that he has independent means and is not reliant on His Lord Bishop for his ciggies and booze. I think you might have done well to have steered clear, + Pat, all those years ago. It’s good to be discriminating in your choice of partner.

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contact the diocesan office as you’re so concerned, or call the police if you feel his welfare is in danger

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Billing is living with Etienne in Blackpool at St John Vianney’s. I am sure he is studying canon law. Another waste of time and money. He’s nearly 50! Too many of them as it is.

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Was Billing the bishop’s secretary ? Big lardy lad ? Bit full of himself and bossy ? I wonder if Etienne is able to find a lace alb big enough to go around his waistline ?! Sounds as if they are playing happy families ? And where do you study canon law in Blackpool, pray tell ? Sounds all a bit contrived to me.

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Time now for a 4 pm lovely cup of tea. This time I am making it for the wife. Because of what people said on this blog. But she doesn’t know that yet. She will be quite surprised. I just hope she will drink my tea. First time for everything I suppose.

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A good blog today Pat. Something to think about. I hope tomorrow doesn’t involve gay monkeys. Jesus knows we are fed up of that Hourigan creature.

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4.37 Billing is studying in Canada but because of COVID is doing most of his course via distance learning. Mostly on Skype and Zoom. Not helping in the Parish and Parishioners are paying for him.

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He may have been tempered to be a tv interviewer. He once conducted a tv style interview with his old boss Campbell before the bishop departed the diocese to retire back to Ireland.
Fawning and jaw droppingly sycophantic. Probably canon law was a better option.

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@4.48 pm

🤣🤣🤣😱😱😱🤓🤓🤓🤣🤣🤣

“Jesus knows we are fed up of that Hourigan creature”.

That has just made my Sunday evening.

Thank you.

Warm regards as always

Robert

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The world’s in a state of ‘chassis’; a state of ‘chassis’, I say. Menfolk marrying menfolk? I mean: who is left to do the tray bakes?😕

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Preston Peter @6;15

FYI. Bishop Campbell did not retire to Ireland. He went back to a parish in London. He does however come from larne where Bishop Pat is from.
Must be one for the record books !!

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