Photo ~ Most Holy Redeemer, with a membership that is 80 percent gay and lesbian, in the Castro.

Most Holy Redeemer at crossroads

Most Holy Redeemer is at a crossroads. The Catholic church in the Castro district has arguably the largest gay parish in the nation, and controversial new decisions have members worried about leadership, policies - even that the church might be shut down.

And it all began with drag queens.

When the archdiocese refused to allow drag queens to serve as emcees for charity events at the church's community hall, it fed rampant paranoia about antigay sentiment.

The decision was initially blamed on incoming Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage who has been championed by extreme conservative Catholic groups. Some read the drag-queen ban as a calculated slap in the face.

Cordileone doesn't start his new job until October, but clearly the issue is bigger than drag queens at a fundraiser. The decision calls into question the responsibility of a church in the community, of the acceptance of all walks of life and the tenets of religion.

"Paranoia is very high," said Supervisor Scott Wiener, who represents the district. "There are a lot of gay people for whom this religion is very important. It's just very, very sad."

Even the possibility of closing the church, despite its illustrious San Francisco history, seems real.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Most-Holy-Redeemer-at-crossroads-3791909.php#ixzz23naYqHkL