SYRACUSE, New York (Lepanto Institute) — On June 15, Fr. Frederick (Fred) Daley of All Saints parish in Syracuse, New York, caught national attention after he celebrated a “gay Mass” with a projection of a rainbow flag above the altar and tabernacle. Opening the Mass with the Hindu greeting “Namaste,” Fr. Daley announced that, in lieu of Trinity Sunday, the parish was celebrating “pride weekend,” blasphemously saying:
“the rainbow is a beautiful symbol of God’s diversity, and we’re called to celebrate God’s diversity. And that’s what we’re about here today, so for Pride Weekend, let’s have a nice hand of applause especially to our LGBTQ folks here and those joining us.”
At various points in the Mass, rather than invoking the Holy Trinity by their proper names, “The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit,” Fr. Daley referred to the Trinity as “the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier.”
The sacrilege and blasphemy at this Mass cannot be understated, but newly discovered information gives greater context to the gravity of what took place in Syracuse. Next week, the heretical Association of US Catholic Priests (AUSCP) will be meeting in San Antonio for its annual assembly. The AUSCP has a long history of advocating for LGBT ideologies, “women’s ordination,” priestless parishes, and heretical notions pertaining to the nature of the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist.
As it turns out, Fr. Fred Daley is both a member and a financial contributor to the AUSCP.
In the AUSCP’s March 24, 2024 newsletter, the AUSCP identified Daley as a “member” of the AUSCP.
In the June 9, 2024, AUSCP newsletter, it once again recognized Daley as an AUSCP member, this time in association with his LGBTQ activism.
Last year, we were able to obtain a copy of the AUSCP’s program book from its annual assembly, and in it we find that Daley is not just a member of the AUSCP, but a donor, above and beyond his annual membership dues.
The New Ways Ministry article referenced by the AUSCP on June 9, written by Fr. Daley, blasphemously equated the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ with Sodomy. First, he laments that a transgender-identified teen (male to female) was told in a previous parish that “she” could “only [receive the sacrament of Confirmation] if she used her Baptismal name and dressed ‘appropriately’ for the gender assigned at her birth.” Then, he made the following blasphemous statement:
“On this Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, during the month when we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month, I would like to reflect on the truth of our Faith: that we are the Body of Christ.”
In short, what Father is saying is that sodomites are not to be excluded from the Body of Christ, despite the fact that the Church has always called for sodomites to be separated from the rest of the Faithful, lest they corrupt the innocent. For instance, the decree of the Council of Ancyria (314) established a series of punishments for those who “commit defilement with animals or males.” Such punishments, depending on the age of the one committing acts of sodomy, required decades of punishment before they “will be readmitted to the communion of prayer.”
The Council of Naplouse (1120) was even more severe, condemning to death anyone caught engaging in sodomitical acts.
The Third Lateran Council (1179) was very explicit:
“Anyone caught in the practice of the sin against nature, on account of which the wrath of God was unleashed upon the children of disobedience, if he is a cleric, let him be demoted from his state and kept in reclusion in a monastery to do penance; if he is a layman, let him be excommunicated and kept rigorously distant from the communion of the faithful.”
This teaching and this practice of segregating those guilty of sodomy from the body of the Faithful continued to be held until 1983, when the Code of Canon Law was changed. The 1917 Code of Canon Law (in force until 1983) said the following:
“So far as laymen are concerned, the sin of sodomy is punished ipso facto with the pain of infamy and other sanctions to be applied according to the prudent judgment of the bishop depending on the gravity of each case (Can. 2357). As for ecclesiastics and religious, if they are clerici minoris, let them be punished with various measures, proportional to the gravity of the fault, that can even include dismissal from the clerical state (Can. 2358); If they are clerici maiores, let them ‘be declared infamous and suspended from every post, benefit, dignity, deprived of their eventual stipend and, in the gravest cases, let them be deposed’ (Can. 2359, par. 2).”
To be declared “infamous” is another way of separating those guilty of sodomy from the rest of the Mystical Body.
The Catholic Church teaches that homosexuality activity is mortally sinful and that the homosexual inclination is “objectively disordered,” as the Catechism states.
Fr. Fred Daley’s sacrilegious behavior and blasphemous pronouncements has sadly become all too commonplace in the Church today and much of it has to do with the fact that such priests do not expect to be reprimanded or punished for the grave scandal they cause. And this is one of the serious dangers posed by the AUSCP with the likes of Daley representing its disposition and agenda. What Daley did in Syracuse was inexcusable, and yet the AUSCP celebrated his New Ways Ministry article, signaling strong support for his subsequent actions.
The reality facing the AUSCP is that it is aging out of existence. When we travel to stand as witnesses against the AUSCP at their annual assemblies, over 95 percent of the men attending have either white hair or none at all. And since we can see this, the AUSCP knows it also. While we pray for the organization to die with this aging generation, it is actively prowling about, looking for young blood. In the April 13 edition of the AUSCP E-Bulletin are two gimmicks to seek younger members. The first is a call for contact information of newly ordained priests with an offer for a free one-year membership to the AUSCP:
The second gimmick in the E-Bulletin is the recommendation that an older AUSCP member who cannot attend the assembly send a younger priest in his stead.
Given how steeped the AUSCP is in homosexual ideologies and subculture, this push to seek younger members – especially newly-ordained priests – is as creepy as it is nauseating!
It is beyond time to look back to the ancient Church and observe and practice the wisdom of the ages! These priests should NOT be allowed to remain in good standing with the Church, they should NOT be allowed to interact with the Faithful, and they should ABSOLUTELY NOT be allowed ANYWHERE near a newly-ordained priest. Rather, they should be completely removed from all official posts within the Church, declared “infamous,” and remanded to a monastery to do penance for the rest of their lives.
The AUSCP must be closed, NOW! Print and send this article to your bishop and to Abp. Christophe Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio for the United States, whose address is:
3339 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C., U.S.
This article first appeared on the Lepanto Institute’s website. Republished with permission.
