The Wandering Bishops: Apostles of a New Spirituality - Home Temple

WANDERING BISHOPS 38
Religion is, after all, a powerful and little-understood force. It especially fascinates people with
neurotic and psychotic tendencies. The fetishes and sexual fantasies of abnormal psychology
are filled with warped religious symbols.
Fine vestments and rites have always appealed to transvestites, homosexuals, sadomasochistic
practitioners, and other compulsives. In the middle ages only the decadent wealthy
class was able to afford and develop such pastimes. Good old American democracy, however,
which has always aped European aristocracy in the search for its recreations and amusements,
proved itself able to descend to the occasion. Soon the splinter churches were attracting a
veritable menagerie of troubled persons who were desirous of Ordination.
I will not recount some of the incredible and perverse things which have apparently been done
in some sanctuaries of independent Catholic and Orthodox churches. Suffice it to say that there
have probably always been such atrocities, and they are not by any means peculiar to
Christianity.
There is a great deal more homosexuality and transvestitism among celibate clergy of traditional
Catholic and Orthodox churches than many would like to admit. The independent Catholic and
Orthodox splinter groups of the Episcopi Vagantes attracted not only their share of them, but
also heterosexual opportunists--sadists, seducers, and various kinky types.
To illustrate the kinds of abuses that have happened, let us look briefly at two of the Apostles of
Dishonor. I will not mention their names (indeed, one of them has several names), nor will I
reveal enough about them to identify them. This is partly for their own protection, since I respect
the dignity of everyone including Episcopal thieves, and do not want to put an impediment in the
way of future personal change. This is also for my own protection, because one of them is a
clever and dangerous legal foe who will rush to court if identified. I don't want to be forced to
take an offensive.
The first is a wanderer to begin with. His origins are obscure because he has experienced
troubles with the law before, and does not use his real name. He has obtained the Priesthood in
some manner and abused it, and now church-hops up and down the West Coast. He loves fine
vestments and keeps a chest of them.
He presents himself to a Bishop for service. He wants to start a home for wayward boys that will
be supported by money from a social agency of the government. The agency will authorize him
to house the boys and give him a few hundred dollars every month for each boy if he can show
that he is a member of a bona fide church. Will the Bishop take him in?
The Bishop spends a week with the fellow, talking, examining. He finds himself liking the young
man and feeling sorry for him. At last he agrees to sponsor the Priest. The fellow sets up and
goes into the orphan-business.
Two months later there is a major scandal in the city. Seems that a Priest of the [ ] Church has
been taking in young boys and trying to turn them homosexual. One of the boys ran away and
told his probation officer. There was an investigation and the Priest was caught red-handed (or
with his pants down, or whatever one says in such a case). The Bishop deposes his Priest and
exorcizes the buildings where this took place, ending with a de-Consecration of the Priest's
chapel. He tries to explain to the newspapers that he had no idea what was going on.
The wandering Priest lays low for about a month, then shows up at the home of another Bishop.
He gives a new false name and asks for money. He is collecting for Polish immigrants. The
Bishop's wife recognizes the fellow, but feeling sorry for him they both contribute ten dollars to
his cause. Six months later the fellow has been able to purchase the Episcopate from someone,
and can be found (again, under a new name) making pastoral visits to the most prosperous Old