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Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, has publicly condemned as “disturbing and appalling” a drag performance that was orchestrated at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that mocked the Mass.
The performance, titled “Mass of Perpetual Indulgence,” was a doctoral student’s dissertation for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s musical arts program.
In a June 24 X post, Bishop Conley called out the performance as anti-Catholic discrimination.
“Such a blatant public display of faith-based discrimination that led to the student earning a doctorate degree reflects poorly on the University of Nebraska, its faculty and our community,” he stated.
The College Fix reported that the performance, orchestrated by Joseph Willette and posted to YouTube April 14, parodied several parts of the Mass, such as the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei. According to the performance’s abstract, Willette’s intent for the dissertation was to “bridge the gap between queerness and spirituality, to sanctify queer people and celebrate queer lives and communities.”
On X, Bishop Conley pointed out that such discrimination against Catholicism would not be tolerated if it had mocked a different religion.
“So why is it tolerated if the target is the Catholic faith?” he asked. “It’s offensive and should be condemned by the University, not applauded or rewarded.”
A strong proponent of education’s role in a person’s formation, Bishop Conley decried the performance as striving for “lies, evil and ugliness” rather than the good, true, and beautiful. He also called on the university not to ignore this mockery of Catholicism, which he condemned as a “vile display of hatred,” and urged them to take action. He specifically asked the university to declare that it “will not tolerate or reward such inappropriate behavior” and requested that it reprimand the faculty who supported Willette’s performance.
“As Christians, we will live boldly for our faith and our God,” he wrote. “St. Francis of Assisi’s words ring true in such times. ‘All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.’ May the University of Nebraska and all institutions of higher learning enlighten their students with true wisdom and lead them out of intellectual darkness.”
Bishop Conley concluded by citing John 16:33, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world,” emphasizing that truth is found in Jesus alone.The College Fix reported June 10 that Catholic League, an advocacy group, sent a letter June 2 demanding accountability from the university’s music department director, Felix Olschofka. Neither the university nor Olschofka had responded to the letter at that time. CatholicVote contacted the university for comment June 25 and did not receive a response before publication.
