Holy Drag!
Impressions of an entirely lapsed Catholic
on attending a performance of high Mass presided over
by the Cardinal in Rome on a recent visit:
After the mass: there they came,
the opulent squadron of prelates making their processional
way toward the sacristy, past entranced parishioners
in the pews, the Cardinal at the helm, followed
by high prelates--the young good-looking ones cherishing
their coveted place close to the Cardinal, and he clearly
cherishing theirs. Their gorgeous red gowns, topped
by blousy hip-length cassocks, barely kissed the floor,
making seductive sounds--swish, swish, sigh, sigh. The
procession of priests drifted on like red ships with white
sails. They accepted with a nod the hands stretched
out to them by the congregants, and the Cardinal gliding
by waved airy blessings at them, the way movie stars blow
kisses at the fans in the bleachers during the Academy
Awards, and all amid the wafting of perfumy incense emanating
from swinging censers--swing, swing, swing, sigh, sigh,
swish, swish. Oh, and the glitter of rings and necklaces
and pendants and belts--sparkle, sparkle, swish, swing,
sigh--and on they swept, the Cardinal and his prelates
in their stunning gowns and spangles and flirtatious beeds--and
the Cardinal, catching sight of a muscular man in a tight
shirt, paused to stare appreciatively--and then, swish,
swoosh!--out of sight, into the sacristy to change into
less glamorous but still stylish attire, a subdued black
outfit, with only a touch of contrasting white, a long
dressy cassock, a shock of bold red. Irresistible
temptation: a peek into the sacristy while the prelates
changed! Why, it was like the dressing room of
Las Vegas showgirls, red gowns swooped and scooped up
by eager little acolytes--sweep, sweep, scoop, swish,
sigh, sparkle, swoop!--and there it was, a crush of red
velvet and coy sequins, removed gowns and smart accessories
that young acolytes cherished and held close to themselves
garments worn by the Cardinal and his favorites.
Sweep, scoop, swish, sigh, scoop, sparkle, sparkle, wink!
Then it all turns ugly. These men are
the hypocrites who uphold the strictures of the political party they
represent--the
Church--strictures that have condemned and damned and tortured and
persecuted and prosecuted and ostracized countless human beings
throughout history: during the Inquisition, burning and
torturing innocent people for blasphemy, sexual transgressions;
strictures that
today account for a climate of condoned hatred toward all who
deviate from their sanctimonious admonitions and prohibitions and
accusations about sex, homosexuality, divorce, birth control, and
(until recently but the entrenched hatred lingers) the
"complicity" of Jews. These are
the men, these prelates, who today uphold some of the most corrupt
notions about society, resulting in gay-bashings, unchecked births
creating poverty and hunger, the lessening
of women. These are so-called "abstinent men!" (
Abstinent? Really? Surely the hypocrisy extends beyond
their mouthings of abstinence, into their guarded cloisters.)
Yet they presume authority over all sexual matters!.... Why
abstinent? In early centuries, Popes and Cardinals and priests
married and had children--and kept mistresses and misters--and
amassed staggering wealth. Marriage produced heirs, though,
and that contained an explosive threat to the Church's vast wealth.
What if the heir of a prelate laid claim to the Church's wealth?
The demand for celibacy solved that detail.
John Rechy
Los Angeles, California
July 2001

Back to top
Original material by John Rechy appears
frequently on these pages.
|