Radical Pro-LGBTQ Bishop Sacks Loyal Priest on False Grounds of Misconduct

David Martin | The Daily Knight

Bishop Alberto Rojas who heads the San Bernardino Diocese of Southern California has removed a devout priest from his parish for supposedly engaging in promiscuous behavior, yet the bishop has provided no evidence to back up his claim.

Fr. Stanley Onwuegbule who for eight years has served as pastor at San Secondo d ’Asti Catholic Church in Ontario, California, is held to be one of the best priests of the San Bernardino Diocese, if not the best. All Masses at San Secondo are said Ad Orientum with the priest facing the altar. These include two Latin Tridentine Masses every Sunday plus a Traditional Latin Mass every Saturday at 6:30 am. At all Masses the faithful kneel at the railings to receive Communion. The fruits have been most bountiful as souls are continually drawn there from afar seeking spiritual advice and conversion.   

Fr. Stanley has a reputation of being pastoral and responsible. He hears confessions daily, is spiritually sensitive to the needs of his people, and is very prolife. Accordingly, he rejects LGBTQ living. From the pulpit he has denounced immodesty and promiscuity and has forbidden women from entering the Church wearing tights, shorts, transparencies, and low-cut outfits, as well as men wearing muscle man T-shirts and the like. To this end he has placed at the Church’s entrance signs explicitly displaying what types of dress are not allowed in the Church.

Meanwhile, Bishop Alberto Rojas who heads the San Bernardino Diocese has eyeballed Fr. Stanley’s parish with seething envy and has sent diocesan spies to observe and report to him what goes on at the parish. Even visiting priests who assist at the parish have said this. Clearly, Rojas despises the Traditional Mass and all the spiritual trimmings that come with it.

False Witness

This same Rojas has now announced that Fr. Stanley will no longer serve as pastor of San Secondo Church because of something ‘he did’ while making his annual vacation trip to his homeland of Nigeria. At the Mass of Sunday, September 6, Monsignor Gerard Lopez of the San Bernardino Diocese read a letter from Bishop Rojas stating that Fr. Stanley must step down because “Father Stanley violated his priestly vow of chastity” while in Nigeria. As one might imagine, parishioners were utterly shocked at the news.

Yet Rojas’ letter provides no evidence to back up his allegation. He neither cites any particulars about Fr. Stanley’s conduct nor does he back up his charge with any testimonies of those who “observed” him. It calls to mind Christ’s seventh Beatitude that says:

“Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake:  Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven.” (Mt. 5:11)

Glaring Hypocrisy

What is absurd is that Rojas is known for his LGBTQ “embrace” obsession and is reputed for punishing tradition-minded priests who speak against homosexuality. He fanatically pushes LGBTQ agenda and even holds LGBTQ Masses in his diocesan Churches.

For instance, On June 27 at Our Lady of the Roses Cathedral in San Bernardino, Bishop Rojas celebrated the second annual “Embrace LGBT Family” Mass for so-called LGBTQ Catholics and their families. During the sermon Rojas said, “Let us lift our hands today not in judgment, or in condemnation, but in a collective family embrace.”

Rojas says we must not judge those who live for their immoral embrace but how quick he was to judge a loyal priest for his embrace of Catholicism. The bishop cites unchaste behavior as the reason for Stanley’s demotion but according to his sermon that’s perfectly OK, even for priests.

Aside from being pro-LGBTQ, Bishop Rojas preaches the synodal heresy of embracing all religions and has a notorious reputation of promoting indigenous totem pole worship in the Churches. For example, On October 17, 2021, Bishop Rojas was the main celebrant of a pagan smudging service held at Queen of Angels Church in Riverside, California. An indigenous smudging service is where “prayer” is offered to the “Spirits of the Four Directions,” which are idolatrous gods or demons that the Canaanites used to worship.   

St. Paul says that fornication is the beginning of idolatry (Ephesians 5:5) and it is evident that Rojas’ promiscuity has brought the shame of idolatry upon the San Bernardino Archdiocese. Rojas is a man of polluted thought so where does he find the room to accuse a fellow priest of impure behavior? As Christ said, “And why seest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye; and seest not the beam (totem pole) that is in thy own eye?” (Mt. 7:3)

What has bewildered parishioners is why the bishop went out of his way to smear Fr. Stanley’s reputation. Normally when a priest is transferred the diocese simply states that much without giving a reason, so why the smear? It truly appears that Fr. Stanley was smeared in order to smear everything he stands for – tradition, devotion, and the salvation of souls. Human malice indeed can produce some strange things!