Former Salt Lake Catholic Diocese Bishop George Niederauer, now the archbishop of San Francisco, is being condemned by conservative Catholics for giving Holy Communion to two men they say were dressed as "queer nuns."

A video of the archbishop giving the Eucharist to the two men — one wearing a black-and-white headdress and painted face, and the other sporting a mustache, painted face and an elaborate arrangement of cloth flowers — has been posted on the Internet by the blogsite Quamdiu Domine, whose link is being sent to the media by the watchdog group Catholic Media Coalition.

According to Quamdiu Domine, the two men in drag were members of a San Francisco group known as the Sisters of Perpetual lndulgence, which describes itself as "a leading-edge Order of queer nuns."

Whether or not the men were actually members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence or were simply men dressed in costumes is unclear. Neither the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence nor Archbishop Niederauer could be reached for comment Thursday.

But the archbishop did issue a statement about Sunday's Mass at Most Holy Redeemer parish in San Francisco's Castro district: "I noticed no protest, no demonstration, no disruption of the Sunday Eucharist. The congregation was devout and the liturgy was celebrated with reverence. Toward the end of the Communion line two strangely dressed persons came to receive Communion. I did not see any mock religious garb. As I recall, one of them wore a large flowered hat or garland."

Mary Ann Kreitzer says she likes to take people at their word, but the archbishop's response "stretches credulity." Kreitzer is president of Virginia-based Catholic Media Coalition.

Conservative Catholic groups like Catholic Media Coalition apparently have had Archbishop Niederauer in their sights for some time. Kreitzer complained that he had made "a number of statements on homosexuality that are of some concern," and that he had given Holy Communion to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi despite her pro-choice stand. "He claimed not to know what her positions were," Kreitzer said.

She is certain that the two men who received communion on Sunday were members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, which she describes as a group that endorses homosexuality and mocks the Catholic Church, and, she says, recently engaged in public masturbation and sado-masochistic behavior at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. The group also used to hold bingo nights at the Most Holy Redeemer church, where the prizes included porn DVDs and sex toys, according to Kreitzer.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Web site includes pictures of men in drag and a statement that it takes "vows to promulgate joy, expiate stigmatic guilt and serve the community. ... We donate countless hours to ministering to and educating our community," as well as donating money to charities.

On its "frequently asked questions" page, in answer to the question "Why do you mock nuns?" the group says, "We are not mocking nuns, we are nuns. ... If you look at the work traditional nuns do, and then look at the work we do, you will find many similarities."

"San Francisco is an important archdiocese," Kreitzer said, "and to have an archbishop who is not willing to stand up for Catholic truth is of great concern to orthodox Catholics." Part of that truth, she contends, is that people who are in "grave sin" may not receive communion.

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E-mail: jarvik@desnews.com