MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, February 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Fr. Leo Tibesar, a Catholic priest, was scheduled to host an upcoming Catholic Association of Lesbian and Gay Ministries (CALGM) Fund Raising dinner at his parish in Minneapolis later this month, until the event was suddenly cancelled yesterday.
Fr. Leo Tibesar, dubbed a “well known and highly respected Same Sex Marriage and Gay Rights Activist” in official event announcements, has openly supported and been actively involved in movements that oppose the Catholic Church on the issues of marriage and homosexuality for many years.
Fr. Tibesar is a founding member of CALGM and is on the CALGM board of directors this year.
The fundraising dinner, scheduled for February 26, was to take place at Fr. Tibesar’s Minneapolis parish, St. Frances Cabrini. The event was to include a music performance by One Voice Mixed Choir, Minnesota’s “GLBTA chorus.”
The communications director for the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Dennis McGrath, told LSN yesterday that the diocese had only just been made aware of the event and that Archbishop John Nienstedt had immediately been informed of it.
Today the archdiocese confirmed with LSN that the vicar general of the archdiocese contacted St. Frances Cabrini parish and canceled the event.
Archbishop Nienstedt has made news in the past for denying Communion to same-sex “marriage” advocates and nixing gay pride services in Minneapolis. Nienstedt has staunchly defended marriage and family, recently piloting an initiative that distributed DVDs, entitled ““Preserving Marriage in Minnesota,” throughout his diocese.
Fr. Tibesar’s history in the gay rights movement includes being named winner of an award from the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities in 1988, and being a founding member of Pfund (Philanthrofund Foundation), an organization that develops, supports, and celebrates homosexual communities, and a former board member of Dignity USA, a lobby organization that combats Catholic teaching on human sexuality.
Fr. Tibesar regularly hosts CALGM board meetings, events, and fundraisers at his Minneapolis parish. CALGM purports to be a Catholic parish- and campus-based ministry to homosexuals and those who minister to them. While they claim to adhere to the USCCB and Catholic teachings, CALGM has gained a reputation for opposing the teachings of the Catholic Church.