Christian group criticises BBC’s ‘gay church service’ broadcast

A national Christian charity today criticised the BBC’s decision to broadcast a ‘homosexual service’ from a gay-rights activists’ church in San Francisco.

The church, in the Roman Catholic Parish of Most Holy Redeemer, San Francisco, is well-known for its controversial activities. Last September a transvestite group calling themselves ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’, whose official slogan is “go forth and sin some more”, held a bingo night at the parish hall where sex toys and pornographic DVDs were handed out as prizes.

Radio 4’s Sunday Service yesterday broadcast a service led by Fr Donal Godfrey, from the Society of Jesus. The preacher was Fr James Alison, a London-based theologian who has described himself as a gay priest.

The service was not authorised by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Spokesman Maurice Healy said, “It was not an archdiocesan function and the archdiocese was not aware of the BBC broadcast.”

This is the latest in a series of BBC decisions likely to cause great offence to Christians. In January 2005 the BBC was deluged with a record number of complaints following its decision to broadcast Jerry Springer the Opera which portrayed Jesus as a homosexual who got sexual pleasure from wearing a nappy. And last year a leaked BBC report admitted that the Corporation is institutionally biased against Christianity.

Speaking today Colin Hart, Director of The Christian Institute, said:

“This is another slap in the face for Christians from the BBC. Can you imagine the BBC broadcasting a Islamic service from a fringe Mosque which hosted transvestite and gay bingo nights with sex toys and porn videos for prizes? The BBC’s blasphemous broadcasts now extend to their Sunday services.

“In my view the BBC, as a public body, is discriminating on grounds of religion against Christians. It took this decision to broadcast a service from a fringe church in full knowledge that it would cause deep offence to a majority of Christians. I hope that Christians will make their views known in a calm and firm way.”