San Francisco, Calif., Jan 6, 2009 / 03:49 am
Opponents of Proposition 8 are suspected to have vandalized Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco over the weekend, spray-painting on the church black swastikas and the words “Ratzinger” and “Niederauer,” the respective last names of the Pope and the Archbishop of San Francisco.
Most Holy Redeemer parish, located in the predominantly homosexual Castro District of San Francisco, has been billed as a “gay-friendly” church. It has previously participated in the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade and reportedly leased parish space to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of homosexuals who mockingly dress as nuns.
Responding to the vandalism, Most Holy Redeemer pastor Fr. Steve Meriweather told KCBS that his parishioners also oppose Proposition 8, a successful California ballot measure that overturned a 2008 state Supreme Court decision which imposed same-sex “marriage” on the state.
“I think it's unfortunate that they selected our community to attack," said Father Meriweather, "because it's the wrong one."