(ZENIT News / Santa Fe, 08.14.2025).- Santa Fe’s Catholic community is confronting an unfolding controversy after Archbishop John C. Wester reinstated to active ministry a priest who had spent nearly three decades away from the clerical state — including a decade in a legally recognized same-sex domestic partnership in California.
Fr. Steve Rosera, once a rising figure in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe with roles ranging from Vocations Director to assistant judicial vicar, left the priesthood in 1993 on what was officially called a “leave of absence.” During his years away, Rosera not only entered into a civilly registered domestic partnership with another man, but also became an outspoken advocate for same-sex marriage, attaching his name to a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief supporting the cause.
Yet in January 2021, Archbishop Wester quietly restored Rosera’s priestly faculties. Within months, Rosera was not only returned to parish ministry but given significant leadership: pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Albuquerque, supervisor of its diocesan school, dean of one of the archdiocese’s regional clusters of parishes, and—most strikingly—a judge and Defender of the Bond in the archdiocesan marriage tribunal, where he now deliberates on the validity of sacramental marriages.
Public records in San Francisco show that Rosera’s same-sex partnership, registered in 2005, lasted nearly ten years before its legal dissolution in 2017. Even more unusual, documents indicate that his former partner entered into another same-sex marriage during the final years of that relationship, creating an overlapping web of commitments. Social media archives reveal Rosera’s active support for Pride Month celebrations, pro-LGBT legislation, and symbolic endorsements such as the red equality sign popularized during the marriage equality debates.
While these activities vanished from his official diocesan biography, they remain well-documented in court filings, press coverage, and digital archives. Parishioners and some clergy now question why such a history was omitted from public disclosures—particularly given Rosera’s current oversight of a Catholic elementary school.
The Archbishop’s Record Under Scrutiny
Critics say the controversy over Rosera cannot be viewed in isolation. Archbishop Wester has been associated with progressive causes throughout his career, including public support for blessing same-sex couples, defending Catholic agencies accused of promoting morally objectionable sexual health programs, and serving as episcopal moderator of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests—an organization that has called for women’s ordination and changes to Church teaching on sexuality.
His decision to place Rosera in the marriage tribunal, they argue, creates a direct clash between the Church’s official doctrine and the lived witness of one of its own judges. “It’s like appointing someone who has publicly rejected the concept of monogamy to preside over divorce court,” one longtime Catholic observer told this reporter, requesting anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Living Arrangements Raise Eyebrows
Multiple clergy sources say Archbishop Wester and Fr. Rosera currently reside in the same former Jesuit rectory in Albuquerque. While the archbishop’s weekends are often spent at Santa Fe’s cathedral, weekdays reportedly place him under the same roof as the reinstated priest—a detail seen by some as symbolic of a new clerical culture in the archdiocese.
Canonical Questions Unanswered
Under Canon Law, a cleric who attempts marriage—whether heterosexual or homosexual—incurs automatic suspension and may face dismissal from the clerical state if scandal continues. Church law makes no distinction between civil and sacramental marriage in such cases. To date, there has been no public record of any canonical penalty imposed on Rosera, nor of any formal process lifting such a penalty if it had been applied.
The Holy See’s diplomatic representative to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, has reportedly been briefed on Rosera’s past relationship and current appointments. No Vatican response has been made public.
Faithful Left Confused
For many lay Catholics in Santa Fe, the issue is not only about Rosera’s personal past but what his elevation signals about the moral leadership of their archdiocese. Parents with children in the parish school have expressed concern over what they see as a lack of transparency, while some clergy view the appointment as a tacit endorsement of positions contrary to Church teaching.
“This isn’t about witch hunts,” said one parishioner. “It’s about trust—whether we can believe that the people making decisions in our Church actually take our faith seriously.”
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