Controversy over Fr. Ripperger posing with gun in unconsecrated, unfinished church
(LifeSiteNews) — A picture of exorcist Father Chad Ripperger posing with former U.S. Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan in an unconsecrated church while holding a gun Ryan gifted him has triggered heavy backlash online.
At least one priest and several laymen have criticized Fr. Ripperger for posing with a gun in church, considering it offensive and, in the of one X user, “reckless.” However, the exorcist priest clarified that he and Ryan were not, in fact, posing in a sacred space.
https://x.com/LifeSite/status/2080657383353618762
Fr. Ripperger explained to LifeSiteNews, “The chapel is not complete, has not been dedicated yet, the high altar was not complete and we are still finishing the construction. It is not a ‘sacred space’ yet as some have asserted.”
A Fr. Paul denounced the pose with a gun as “vile,” writing, “Openly brandishing a weapon in the sanctuary for a photo op is unbecoming of the clerical state. Especially given that a shooting in a Catholic parish took the lives of two schoolkids and injured many more less than a year ago.”
By deeming the pose “vile” and “unbecoming,” Fr. Paul seems to imply that carrying a gun is necessarily associated with immorality, especially given the fact that he considers the pose reminiscent of anti-Catholic violence.
READ: Shawn Ryan tells Tucker of return to Catholicism after Fr. Ripperger interview
One woman, Elizabeth Day, was so perturbed by Fr. Ripperger’s pose that she contacted the Archdiocese of Denver about it, as she on X.
However, the Catholic Church has never considered carrying a gun to be immoral. On the contrary, laymen and priests alike may use it for legitimate purposes such as hunting and self-defense. In fact, as the traditional Catholic Sensus Fidelium X account has the Church has a blessing for weapons.
In his public ministry, Fr. Ripperger has always been careful to adhere to Catholic morals and reflect them in his teaching. He has explained that he must keep his moral, spiritual life in good order, or else he will not be able to properly exercise his ministry as an exorcist.
Fr. Paul’s denunciation of Fr. Ripperger’s pose as “unbecoming” is ironic considering that as a priest, his X account “bio” reads “God, gains, and games,” reflecting frequent posts of unserious musings about completely secular topics. He posts of himself in lay clothes, totally unidentifiable as a priest, and in one post Christ’s sacrifice for us to the emancipation of slaves, writing, “AS HE DIED TO MAKE MEN HOLY LET US DIE TO MAKE MEN FREE Happy Juneteenth!”
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