The Rev. Chris Carpenter, the former priest of Christ the King Catholic Church and one-time “Father Flick” movie reviewer for The Catholic Sun newspaper, tells his story about breaking with the Roman Catholic Church on public radio KJZZ (FM 91.5) at 6:33 and 8:33 a.m. Tuesday August 11.
Carpenter was excommunicated by Bishop Thomas Olmsted in May for “putting himself in scism” with the church by affiliating with the Reformed Catholic Church in California where he is in the process of becoming the tiny Catholic movement’s vicar for the state. He had served Christ the King from 1997 to 2006, then abruptly resigned as parish priest and moving to California. Carpenter had spoken out publicly against policies of Olmsted including the bishop’s position against homosexuaity. Carpenter, for example, was one of nine priests ordered by the bishop in 2004 to remove their names from the Phoenix Declaration, a letter Arizona clergy signed calling for full acceptance of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people in the life of faith communities. “Something died as a result of the personal and public showdown” with the bishop, Carpenter would say. Since Olmsted arrived to lead the diocese in 2003, his actions have had a ‘chilling effect … throughout all Catholic parishes and institutions concerned about outreach and ministry to LGBT persons,” he wrote. Olmsted made public his letter of excommunication in May and said he was praying for Carpenter’s “reconciliation with Christ and His Church.”
The KJZZ feature which can also be seen and head on the Web site, www.kjzz.org, is titled, “Ousted Catholic Priest Starts Over.”
Again, I am unsure where Christ even spoke about homosexuality in his ministry.