Several weeks before Pope John Paul II's 1987 visit to the San Francisco Saint Mary’s Cathedral, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence held a press conference at the cathedral.
"Shortly before the pope’s visit, anger had arisen among AIDS activists across the United States at the appointment of New York’s Archbishop John J. O’Connor to the Presidential Commission on HIV."
"The archbishop was a key author of the vocal stance that the US Catholic Church was taking against condom use, framing AIDS, Anthony Petro writes, “as a national moral crisis.” With the leader of the entire RC Church coming to their city, the Sisters were primed to respond.".
"“By this time our public relations abilities were really refined,” recalls Sister Vish. “We had a couple of our saints, who were public relations people, put together all of these professional, glossy press packets.”"
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Sister Vish recalls that “something like fifty” members of the press attended their meeting at St Mary's Chapel San Francisco ...
On the day of the pope’s visit, San Francisco traffic was snarled due to road closures for the papal procession. The Sisters took over Union Square and staged a Mass Against Papal Bigotry, during which they exorcised the pope of the demons of homophobia &
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canonized slain San Francisco gay political leader Harvey Milk . Photos from the Mass show a large white cross in the background that reads in stark black capitals “2000 YEARS OF OPPRESSION.”
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"During the part of the Mass in which Milk was canonized, the signs were reversed to show the words “SAINT HARVEY MILK,” and a large banner bearing Milk’s picture was unfurled in front of the cross."
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"Downstage, along with their signature calligraphed black-and-white banner, are Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in their traditional black-and-white habits."
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