Father Karl Clemens & homosexuals.

Toronto -- On October 20, 2005, Vision TV's flagship public affairs program 360 Vision broadcast a profile of Fr. Karl Clemens, beginning with the priest's statement, "I'm a Roman Catholic priest. And I'm gay."

Vision TV is the nationally approved channel through which various religious organizations may bring programs of their own, together with whatever Vision TV itself puts on the screen.

Fr. Clemens, ordained a priest 33 years ago for the Archdiocese of Kingston, ON, checked himself out of his assigned ministry seven years ago and moved to downtown Toronto to--as he sees it--minister to the homosexual community there. The Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic, has forbidden him to celebrate Mass publicly or to administer the Sacraments.

The 15-minute TV clip showed a lacklustre, depressed priest talking to various people in bars and restaurants, celebrating the Eucharist privately in his apartment, administering Holy Oils to an HIV/AIDS patient, and giving his views on what he sees as his "apostolate." Did he think that 50 percent of Canadian priests could be "gay" (i.e., homosexually active)? he was asked. Oh yes, he said.

The program did present Calgary bishop Fred Henry in two 20-second clips defending the Church's teaching.

One year ago, Vision TV made the same claim in a similar 15-minute overview of the Catholic priesthood and homosexuality. Five thousand Canadian priests had embraced the "gay" lifestyle, it was claimed. At that time, the producer was unable to bring a single active priest to back him up, only a former Jesuit priest in Regina and two lesbian religious sisters, one in Winnipeg, one in Edmonton. This time, they boasted that they had the first Canadian Catholic priest "come out of the closet." The obvious question one would have wanted to ask is: where are the other 4,999?

The short feature had an obnoxious ending, with grossly exaggerated comments of the hostess, Marianne Meed Ward. The latter also writes a religion column for the Toronto Sun on Sundays, often just as verbose and inaccurate as her effort on TV. She tied it all into what she called "the Vatican's hunt" against "gays," as presumably exemplified by a forthcoming warning against "gay" seminarians. She borrowed that title from a Globe and Mail editorial.

Comment:

The feature was a disgrace to Vision TV As for Fr. Clemens, he--like other dissenting and disobedient priests who no longer recognize the authority of their bishops--illustrated how a priest's vocation can be destroyed. And the Archdiocese of Toronto might reflect again on why the National Catholic Broadcasting Council pays this channel three-quarters of a million dollars every year for showing the daily Mass on TV. Are there no other outlets?