"California priest says God is ‘proud’ of ‘LGBT Catholics’ during homily at ‘Family Pride Mass’"

Father David Andel told “LGBT Catholics” during a sermon for the Diocese of San Bernardino’s first-ever “Family Pride Mass” last month that God is “proud” of LGBT Catholics and their families.

Andel, a priest in the diocese, emphasized during his homily that God loves and is proud of Catholics who identify as LGBT as well as their families for persevering in their faith despite “persecution,” per the diocesan news outlet Inland Catholic Byte. The June 28 Mass, which was celebrated at St. John Bosco Mission, was organized by Embrace, the diocese’s official “LGBT ministry,” to add a “Catholic dimension” to “Pride Month” and remind Catholics who identify as LGBT and their families that they are welcome in the Church.

During the homily, Andel first underscored that God is proud of “LGBT Catholics,” who have remained in the Church despite the “persecution” they’ve experienced from other Christians.

Like any good parent, God is proud of you. God is proud of you for turning the other cheek; for forgiving seventy times seven, the same offenses and the same insults; for your love for your enemies and your prayers for those who persecute you; for persevering in your faith in spite of some Christians who don’t give you posada and want you to go elsewhere; for your courage, your love and your compassion for others; for your insistence and confidence that you are indeed beloved and belong in the Church.

The priest then stressed that God is also “proud” of the parents of “LGBT Catholics.”...

In an email to LifeSiteNews, Andel defended his decision to celebrate the “Family Pride Mass” by likening it to a parish celebrating Mass or commemorating Mardi Gras or New Year’s Eve, modern celebrations of which are often marked by vice.

“‘Pride Month’ is a secular creation and sometimes may be ‘marked with vice,'” Andel wrote. “We wanted LGBTQ Catholics and their families to have a spiritual alternative.”...

“(P)art of our reasoning for this Mass (was to) give LGBT Catholics an alternative opportunity to celebrate (Pride Month) in a different way,” the priest added. “I hope that, if two months from now someone asks an LGBT Catholic, ‘How did you celebrate Pride month?’ they will answer, ‘I went to Mass with my family.'”...

Pride is also listed by the Church as one of the seven deadly sins...

The priest also confirmed that he did not call his LGBT congregants to repentance or mention the Church’s teaching that individuals with same-sex attraction are called to live in chastity.

The Embrace Ministry has been operating in the Diocese of San Bernardino for 25 years with the aim of helping the faithful who “seek faith and spiritual support, accompaniment, and Catholic resources concerning ‘LGBTQ+’ issues,” per the organization’s website.

“We promote respect, compassion, sensitivity, and inclusivity and emphasize the inherent dignity of all persons. We strive to provide a safe space for dialogue,” the site reads.

A flyer advertising the “Family Pride Mass” also notably features the LGBT rainbow colors.

San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas also has a long history of heterodoxy. The bishop was one of several U.S. prelates who signed a statement last year organized by the Tyler Clementi Foundation, another pro-LGBT activist group, telling homosexual youth that “God is on your side.” Rojas then withdrew the faculties of a priest in his diocese who criticized him for signing the statement.

In 2023, Rojas also celebrated an “Earth Day Mass” that featured the recitation of various prayers with pagan origins.