The Danger of a Homily

Thank you for Nick Welsh’s excellent article on Fr. Juan Carlos Gavancho’s sudden dismissal from Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic church. The fact that he had so little time to pack his bags and leave town indicates how dangerous the Archdiocese of Los Angeles considers his opinion.

I attended the memorial service on Saturday for A.W. Richard Sype, an ex Benedictine monk, who was one of the foremost advocates for survivors of clergy molestations. Most of the country’s movers and shakers of the movement to help survivors and advocate for change in the Catholic church were there. The consensus seemed to be that very little concrete action will come from Pope Francis’s upcoming meeting with the world’s bishops. They were hopeful but not optimistic. They felt that meaningful change will only come from the outside, in other words, from people like Fr. Gavancho, parishioners, and civil authority.

The video of his complete homily can be found on YouTube.