‘There is no redeeming value in such a display of ignorance,’ Bishop James Conley says
The University of Nebraska Lincoln continues to face criticism for a doctoral student’s thesis project which mocked the Catholic Mass – this time from the bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln.
“The recent report that a University of Nebraska-Lincoln doctoral student produced an orchestrated drag performance mocking the Catholic Mass is both disturbing and appalling,” Bishop James Conley stated on Tuesday. “Such a blatant public display of faith-based discrimination that led to the student earning a doctorate degree reflects poorly on the University of Nebraska, its faculty and our community.”
As first reported by The College Fix, a “queer” doctoral student named M. Joseph Willette, who uses “they/them” pronouns, created a “drag performance” “Mass” called the “Mass of Perpetual Indulgence.”
It included sections unique to the Catholic Mass, including the Kyrie, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God”). Willette later denounced The College Fix for reporting on the project.
Bp. Conley (pictured) criticized the performance further, stating:
Quite honestly, our Nebraska community is better than that. There is no redeeming value in such a display of ignorance. Such discrimination would not be tolerated if directed at other religions, so why is it tolerated if the target is the Catholic faith? It’s offensive and should be condemned by the University, not applauded or rewarded. Education should strive for the true, the good and the beautiful — not lies, evil and ugliness.
“I call on the University of Nebraska to do more than ignore such a vile display of hatred,” the prelate wrote. “Have the courage to stand up and declare your institution will not tolerate or reward such inappropriate behavior and take action against the faculty who encouraged it.”
The statement is the latest backlash the university is facing for granting a doctoral degree partially on the basis of a poorly attended performance.
.@UNLincoln graduate student Joseph Willette REALLY doesn’t like that the College Fix, which he calls a ‘tabloid,’ called attention to his anti-Catholic ‘Mass of Perpetual Indulgence.’ pic.twitter.com/1ZAznOsi3t
— The College Fix (@CollegeFix) June 9, 2025
“What we’re seeing at work is a double standard, rooted in the old anti-Catholic bigotry that stains the history of the United States of America,” former professor and liturgical expert Peter Kwasniewski previously told The Fix.
“We know that in any other context whatsoever, a public mockery of anyone’s religion — let’s say, Islam, or Judaism, or Buddhism — would have been vetoed by the faculty and, if not, would have created instant furor and demands for apologies and retributions,” Kwasniewski said.
Minding the Campus editor Jared Gould shared similar thoughts for a May 30 article. “Why is Christianity, and specifically the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, so often singled out for such provocations,” Gould told The Fix. “This disparity suggests a lack of equal scrutiny across religions, undermining the intellectual honesty universities should champion.”
Likewise, the Catholic League also called on the university to condemn the performance. President William Donohue said, “those professors who are responsible for sanctioning this blatant example of anti-Catholic bigotry need to be held accountable.”
The Fix also has been told a group of Nebraska state senators have written to the UNL board of regents, voicing their objections.
MORE: Bishop rebukes ‘Pride Mass’ at Duquesne University chapel
IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Bishop James Conley; Diocese of Lincoln