The Lepanto Institute has formally requested that Pope Leo laicize and suspend from ministry a New Mexico priest who entered into a homosexual “domestic partnership” for ten years during a 28-year leave of absence from the priesthood.
Lepanto sent a copy of its August 2025 report on Fr. Steve Rosera, of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, along with the notarized “divorce” documents of Rosera and his “partner,” issued by the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco, to the Papal Nuncio to the United States, His Eminence, Christophe Cardinal Pierre. This followed a recent in-person conversation with the Nuncio in which Lepanto brought the scandal to his attention in Washington, D.C.
Lepanto requested of the Nuncio that the report and court documents be delivered in person, via the Apostolic pouch, to Pope Leo XIV, with the request that the Holy Father impose the canonical penalties incurred by a priest for grave violations of the vow of celibacy: suspension from ministry and laicization.
The request comes after more than six months of inaction on the part of Rosera’s immediate superior, Archbishop John Wester, following Lepanto’s exposure of the scandal through the publication of the court’s divorce documents. In fact, at the end of September of last year, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe held a convocation of priests, and in the presence of 80 priests a brave priest stood up and challenged Abp. John Wester about our story on Fr. Steve Rosera. A priest who was there sent us the following statement:
“Last night, Fr. X called out the bishop on the Steven Rosera scandal. The bishop snapped at Fr. X and said that ‘these negative reports are untrue and hurtful, and anyone who reads this stuff and believes it is full of crap.’”
As noted in its original report and in the letter to the Nuncio, not only has Archbishop Wester not imposed any canonical sanction upon Rosera, despite the public report documenting the priest’s homosexual “domestic partnership,” but he has promoted Rosera to several influential positions of authority within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, including pastor of parish and grade school, and judge on the marriage tribunal.
As Lepanto reported to the Nuncio,
Clergy and faithful of the archdiocese have affirmed to the Lepanto Institute that Fr. Rosera’s former homosexual relationship is widely known within the archdiocese, and Fr. Rosera has continued to promote homosexuality since being reinstated to active ministry, as I have documented and reported.
Of particular note, Lepanto pointed out that parents of grade school age children are concerned for the welfare and safety of their children, with an openly pro-homosexual priest serving as pastor of a Catholic school.
Catholic parents have expressed grave concern for the education and safety of their children, given Fr. Rosera’s role as pastor of an archdiocesan school and his clear dissent from Catholic teaching on the sin of sodomy and his promotion of LGBT ideology.
It is hoped that Pope Leo XIV will hear these concerns of the faithful and clergy of Santa Fe and confirm by canonical penalty that living in a homosexual domestic partnership is incompatible with the priesthood.
Below is the full text of Lepanto’s letter to the Apostolic Nuncio:
To His Eminence, Christophe Cardinal Pierre,
My name is Louis Knuffke. I am a researcher and journalist with the Lepanto Institute. I am writing to Your Eminence regarding Fr. Steve Rosera, of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, who entered into a homosexual “domestic partnership” with a gay man in San Francisco for 10 years during a 28-year leave of absence from public priestly ministry.
Within the last several years, Fr. Rosera has been reinstated into active ministry. Fr. Rosera’s Ordinary, Archbishop John Wester, knows of Fr. Rosera’s former homosexual relationship, and has not only taken no canonical action, but has promoted him to positions of prominence and authority within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Archbishop Wester has appointed him pastor of a parish with a grade school, dean of a deanery of priests, and, most scandalously, judge on the archdiocesan marriage tribunal.
Clergy and faithful of the archdiocese have affirmed to the Lepanto Institute that Fr. Rosera’s former homosexual relationship is widely known within the archdiocese, and Fr. Rosera has continued to promote homosexuality since being reinstated to active ministry, as I have documented and reported.
Catholic parents have expressed grave concern for the education and safety of their children, given Fr. Rosera’s role as pastor of an archdiocesan school and his clear dissent from Catholic teaching on the sin of sodomy and his promotion of LGBT ideology.
I am the journalist who broke this story last year, and I am sending to your Eminence, with this letter, a hard copy of the notarized divorce document for Fr. Rosera and his homosexual partner, issued by the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco. This document was stamped and signed by the Clerk of the Court on July 30, 2025. I would like to request that Your Eminence present this document, through the Apostolic pouch, together with this letter and my report, also included here, to His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV.
In view of the court-notarized evidence of the grave sin and canonical crime of Fr. Rosera’s homosexual domestic partnership—entered into for 10 years after priestly ordination—and in view of Archbishop Wester’s refusal to take any canonical action in the matter, on behalf of the Catholic laity and clergy of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, who brought the scandal to the attention of the Lepanto Institute, I would like to request of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, that the canonical penalties for grave violations of priestly celibacy be imposed on Fr. Rosera, namely, that he be suspended from all priestly ministry and laicized.
An assurance of both receipt of this letter and delivery of the court document, this letter, and the Lepanto report on Fr. Rosera, through the Apostolic pouch, to His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, is respectfully requested.
Thank you,
Louis Knuffke
The moral authority of the Catholic Church or whatever is left of it continues to disappear daily as it permits situations like these to go unchecked. How can you follow a church that has no regard for its own teachings.
Hey Mike,
I’m new to the Catholic faith although I’ve been a believer in Christ since my childhood (7 or so). I’ve been to just about every protestant church you could name, as a musician, and have finally come to find a home in my Southern California (Los Angeles) parish. The humility and piety of the people, and the true love of Christ, and his church, that the father has shown has been refreshing to me.
Let me just say, now that I’m almost 65 years old, don’t lose hope! Believe me, I’ve seen corruption of so many types in many churches–and the Catholic church, I’m sure, is no exception.
But our Lord Jesus still tells us to worship in community and be salt and light on this earth.
Consider Jesus’ interaction with the Pharasees during his day. Did he ever tell his deciples that they didn’t need to go to worship at the temple because the leaders were corrupt?
No. Instead he told them that they needed to obey everything they say, in humility, but don’t do what they do. And he told the Samaratin woman “…you don’t need to worship God on this mountain or in Jerusalem, but those who worship God worship in Spirit and in Truth, God is spirit, and those who worship him worship in spirit and in truth. Those are the true worshippers”
And so I’d humbly submit that God is purifying his church in these last days. Being a Christian in Los Angeles California it’s very difficult to sit on the fence in regard to social and political issues. Conviction no longer allows it. It’s becoming increasingly clear who loves God and his ways and who doesn’t–inside the church and without–goats from sheep–weat from tares.
So don’t lose heart! Pray, worship and seek Gods will for your life!
You matter!
It matters!
He has a place for you!
In my humble opinion, both Father Rosera, the homosexual priest and Archbishop John Wester should be laicized and absolutely have NO business within the Catholic Church…Father Rosera for breaking his priestly vow of celibacy and promoting sodomy and homossexuality, and Archbishop John Wester for not only accepting Fr. Rosera back into the Catholic fold in Santa Fe, NM, but to elevate and promote him especially for the position of allowing Father Rosera to spew out his current pro-homosexuality position and anti-celibacy garbage to these young vulnerable Catholic children. These are very schismatic times and reading this is very upsetting to me. The last Pope, I believe, is responsible for much confusion in the Catholic Church leading to this debacle within the Church itself. I pray that Pope Leo will address this extremely important issue. If he sets it aside or gives excuses, I will absolutely know where this current Pope stands. I think I already know the answer to that. As a Hebrew Catholic convert into the faith for the last 31 years, I noticed modern liberal theology creeping into the Mass and without any strong leadership from either the Popes, Cardinals or the Archbishops. The Jesuits have not helped these issues and have sought, in my humble opinion, to further their disgusting liberal agenda in the Catholic Church along with Vatican II confusion and misunderstandings about our real Catholic faith.
Just terrible, Just unacceptable, Just unbelievable, and so utterly disobedient to our Catholic Church teachings and faith.
What is that Archbishop thinking? I guess he doesn’t know what is facing him or his judgement ?
May God have mercy on all involved and stop this now before anymore evil or wrongdoing is done, Worse yet, any innocent children harmed, Please GOD! HELP!
Wondering if the Archbishop ‘s inaction may lead to his own guilt? Just sayin. Would it have been different if this priest had been married to a woman? I remember a day when THAT would have been a monumental scandal that would have required him to be laicized….and WHY was he allowed to take a sabbatical for 28 years???? This whole story is something out of the twilight zone.
Where to begin? First of all, Fr. Rosera has taken no “vow of celibacy” as he is, and always has been, a diocesan priest. Perhaps you should do some research (ever heard of google?) before you begin your writing process for this prestigious (note the sarcasm?) organization, and most especially before you begin embarrassing yourself before cardinals. Priestly celibacy is an ecclesiastical discipline—a binding law rooted in deep theological, doctrinal, and spiritual significance—freely embraced by candidates at ordination as a gift and charism from God for the Kingdom of Heaven. Priestly celibacy is a profound vocation and discipline, not a vow, upheld across magisterial teaching for its evangelical power.
Secondly, in what world, what concept of Christianity, does this organization have the time to go on internet deep dives about parish priests instead of answering the most basic tenants of life according to the Gospel?
Lastly, modern psychiatry suggests that intense, obsessive homophobia is linked to repressed, same-sex attraction… looking at you, Mr. Knuffke.
You really ought to know better than to leave such a comment on the website of an organization dedicated to deep research: https://www.lepantoin.org/wp/norbertine-abbey-in-santa-fe-posts-message-defending-homosexual-priest/
This comment brings to mind Fyodor Dostoevsky’s famous observation:
“Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste‑souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.”
Bert seems very defensive — as if his inner life is being pushed on or exposed. It’s the “last refuge” because Mr. Knuffke and the Lepanto Institute have made it very hard to remain silent, especially for anyone who is a co-conspirator or supporter of these heretical priests.
FWIW, Bert–if you are reading this–I think you grossly misrepresent the binding promise of celibacy taken by diocesan priests. It is not a “vow,” per se, but it is a promise to the bishop and one to which Canon 277 explicitly binds diocesan priests. This promise is made publicly during the ordination rite and it is reasonably expected by faithful Catholics.
Even without a “vow” of celibacy, homosexual relationships are clearly a violation of chastity and the perpetual continence promised by priests. At the very least, any priest entering into a same-sex relationship has disqualified himself from the priesthood. And any bishop that tolerates it, is unworthy of his office. To paraphrase Lord Acton: Homosexuality corrupts; episcopal homosexuality corrupts absolutely.
Lastly, always remember that “homophobia” is a gratuitous slur, invented and used by activists to unfairly stigmatize and marginalize anyone who opposes their agenda. The slander of an “irrational fear of homosexuals” is used to denigrate and stigmatize anyone who expresses doubt about the necessity or value of same-sex relationships. I have never met anyone who is “afraid” of homosexuality. I do know LOTS of faithful Catholics who rightly and justly oppose the normalization of homosexuality and SS unions. Any suggestion that they are “homophobic” is unworthy of any truly Catholic discussion. Moreover, the opposite term–homophilia– is NEVER used to describe those who, directly or indirectly, propose some level of intrinsic value in these acts or relationships.