(LifeSiteNews) – The bishop’s office of a Catholic priest from Ontario who attended his brother’s homosexual “wedding,” which he described as “amazing” and “EPIC,” says it is having “conversations” with the cleric about the “serious matter” of his attending the event and posting about it in a public manner. 

As reported by LifeSiteNews on July 8, Father Rico Passero, who is listed as the pastor at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Grimsby, Ontario, made a Facebook post about an “EPIC wedding weekend” at his brother’s gay “wedding.”

John J. O’Brien, spokesperson for the Diocese of St. Catherine’s, Ontario, under Bishop Gerard Paul Bergie, sent a letter in email format to LifeSiteNews in reply to a series of questions that were asked July 7 about Fr. Passero’s attending the gay “wedding” and posting about it.

While the response was not sent in time to be included in the original report about Fr. Passero, it was received a day after the article was published. 

O’Brien wrote, “Thank you for your email regarding Fr. Rico Passero’s attendance at his brother’s same-sex union and his role as MC at the reception.”

“It is important to recognize that Fr. Rico did not officiate at the ceremony,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien then noted that there “have been conversations between the diocese and Father Rico on this serious matter, and more conversations will be held to address the issue.”

“Bishop Bergie has been steadfast in supporting the teaching of the Catholic Church in this area throughout his episcopacy, and his position remains unchanged,” he noted.

“There has been no endorsement of Fr. Rico’s attendance at this event. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.”

Father Passero made the Facebook post on July 5, writing, “What an EPIC wedding weekend last week. It took me some time to finally receive some amazing photos from the Midnight in Eden wedding weekend of one of my dear brothers, Anthony Passero and Aldair Martinez Garcia.”

“Definitely one of most special and amazing celebrations I’ve ever been to – bias aside. On behalf of my mother Carmelina, my late father Tony, my brother Daniel and I, we would like to sincerely thank all family and friends who came to support Anthony and Aldair in this celebration.”

In Passero’s post, he noted that he “MC’d the reception,” saying he was “still on a high from the weekend.”

The Catholic Church teaches that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered” and “contrary to the natural law” and that the homosexual inclination is “objectively disordered,” as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states.

The Catechism is clear that homosexual activity can never be approved and repeats that “(h)omosexual persons are called to chastity.” Homosexual acts are mortal sins; therefore, anyone who commits these sins and does not repent through the sacrament of confession is in danger of hell.

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