In October, two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of gay mock nuns in the Bay Area, caused a national commotion when they received communion from the Archbishop of San Francisco at Most Holy Redeemer Church in the city's Castro district.
The controversy has pulled back the curtain on a deep division within the Roman Catholic Church that leads from the Bay Area all the way to Rome.
Some angry Bay Area Catholics, including one secretive sect, have started shadowing church leaders to document what they consider sacrilege and heresy. They may be a minority among American Catholics, but they say they have a sympathetic ear in Vatican City and, thanks to the Internet, their influence is growing.
KCBS reporter Doug Sovern investigates for this special KCBS Cover Story, "Keeping the Faith."
KCBS Cover Story: Keeping the Faith (Part 1)
(12/17; 7:34)
KCBS Cover Story: Keeping the Faith (Part 2)
(12/18/07; 6:23)
Archbishop Niederauer and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on YouTube
Links
Most Holy Redeemer Church, SF
Q Domine
Catholic Media Coalition
San Francisco Archdiocese