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Brooklyn, NY — A strange story about an international gay sex ring involving Episcopal priests from Brooklyn who imported young men from Brazil was printed in the December 1996 issue of Penthouse magazine. The monthly, better known for its exposure of nude women than scandals, carried a long article called "The Boys from Brazil," by Rudy Maxa, complete with graphic photos. As many as six priests were involved, with victims from Brazil, Puerto Rico and even Egypt.
The story was broken by Wasticlinio Barros, then 23, who had been brought to the US purportedly to serve as a church translator at St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in New York in August 1994 by Fr. William Lloyd Andries, then near 60. At first excited about his work, by October he was involved in bizarre sex and drug orgies with priests in the sanctuary of the church.
According to the magazine, in his first session, he was led to the altar late one night and told to undress. A hardcore male porn video and Madonna's "Material Girl" played on a TV set and audio player nearby. Soon Andries, dressed and made up to resemble Marilyn Monroe from the movie The Seven Year Itch, and another priest, dressed as Madonna with pointy bra and long blonde wig, came out and began fellating Barros. Pretending to be women, they had Barros whip them and engaged in oral and anal sex. The orgy ended after Barros refused to defecate on them with the priests masturbating as they knelt side by side as he whipped them.
This was Barros' introduction to a bizarre cadre of gay and bisexual cross-dressing priests. Privately, they called each other by women's names and referred to themselves as "the girls." Andries was "Marilyn," others were only identified in the article as "Margo," "Marlene," "Greta," etc., some half-dozen or more priests total. Often their sexual orgies took place in churches, occasionally during private Masses. Role-playing held an important part. Often under the influence of cocaine, alcohol, and Diazipan, Andries would lose control and become violently paranoid.
Barros wanted out but Andries had economic power over him and his passport. Andries kept him dependent and soon had him hooked on cocaine, having sex three or four times a week. Shortly after Barros managed finally to move out of the rectory, Andries proposed he return to Brazil to recruit more young men. Barros agreed, partly to try get evidence or an ally in order to get revenge.
Soon three more men were brought to Brooklyn, but they refused after the second orgy. On the next recruiting trip, Andries fell in love with Jairo Pereira, 25, and brought him to the US with two others in late 1995. Barros convinced Periera that if they could get proof, such as photos, they could halt "the girls'" schemes and make money.Ultimately, the opportunity arose at the mock wedding between Pereira and Andries. It was a traditional ceremony with Andries taking the part of the bride. They posed for photos together and more pictures, this time X-rated, were taken after indulging in drugs.
Two weeks after the ceremony, Andries was hospitalized with prostate trouble. On his return, he discovered Barros' diary on his computer and angrily ordered him to leave. Periera left also.
Within days, Barros tried breaking the story with the help of a Brazilian television producer with little result, and so they turned to Penthouse. All the clergymen accused by Barros refused to comment.
When Andries' superior, Bishop Orris Walker of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, was contacted and shown the photos of the wedding ceremony, he said that it was "ludicrous" to say there was a marriage performed, because New York doesn't recognize same sex marriages. Walker said, "I would be dishonest to say that I don't know that there are those services going on. I have not authorized any of them, but I'm aware within the gay community there are those services."
He also said that even after it was brought to his attention, he did not conduct an investigation because no one had filed a complaint. (10/96)
A Long Island Episcopal priest who resigned his parish following lurid skin magazine revelations that he participated in sexual orgies in churches while wearing religious vestments, imported young men from Brazil for sexual purposes and then "married" one of them, is being reinstated by the Bishop of Long Island the Rt. Rev. Orris Walker.
The Rev. Lloyd Andries, priest at St. Gabriel's, Brooklyn was exposed in a 1996 Penthouse story, "The Boys from Brazil" which uncovered a "secret cadre of gay and bisexual cross-dressing Episcopal priests whose private lives included the most bizarre rituals imaginable" prompting the priest to resign from his parish.
However it was known then that the Episcopal Bishop of Long Island, the Rt. Rev. Orris Walker was unhappy about Andries resignation and has secretly tried to have him reinstated.
In February 2003 the Diocesan Standing committee met, and at the behest of Bishop Walker, agreed privately, to reinstate Andries without telling the diocese.
"It is an outrage," said The Rev. Peter Bramble, rector of the Church of St. Mark, Brooklyn, NY, the largest parish on Long Island. "When I heard about it I wrote two letters; one to the bishop and the other to the Secretary of the Standing Committee June Gerbracht, stating my opposition to his reinstatement."
Fr. Bramble, an Anglo-Catholic priest, protested the possible return of Andries in 1998 when it was first raised by the bishop, and wrote and told the bishop after he got wind of his possible reinstatement. "They tried this once before," he told Virtuosity. "The bishop went to the Black Caucus of 22 priests and got the support of 14 of them to pursue the reinstatement of Andries, with eight abstaining."
"I wrote a letter to the black priests at that time telling them that they should not do this as it would injure the church and injure the bishop. I told them I didn't want to bring it back to the forefront of the church. It was offense against God." It died.
"At that time I got hate phone calls and hate mail," said Bramble. "A letter written anonymously tried to scandalize me personally and called me a hidden homosexual and people close to the bishop said the bishop thought he had made a mistake in accepting his [Andries] resignation."
"I am an Anglo-Catholic and conservative. I am not anti-Gay, but for the Episcopal Church to do this is like turning the church on its head and putting the church at the center of a new paradigm of family life. It is a symbol of death."
"Now they are doing it again, and they are doing it under the table without the rest of the diocese's knowledge."
When he confronted the president of the Standing Committee the Rev. Edith Baker, she told him that the bishop requested it. "When I asked her how we as priests respond who don't agree with this action, she said I should write a letter to the bishop. I did."
In his letter to the bishop (February 4, 2003) Bramble wrote, "This issue, when it was first raised was the cause of a massive slander wrought by key players in the Diocese against my character. I stated then, as I am stating now, that the re-instatement of Mr. Andries will do great harm to the very fabric of the Church and the Diocese of Long Island and its Bishop in particular."
"It is my prayer and hope that you will do all in your power to make sure that this does now happen. Barring that, I will do all in my power to protect my parish and those priests within the Diocese who think as I do...from being identified with this action."
The bishop did not respond. "I later learned that the Standing Committee passed a resolution okaying the bishop's request," said Fr. Bramble.
"The bishop wants to reinstate him so he can be a supply priest. They (The Standing Committee and the Bishop) want to show they can do whatever they please. I will show you that I have the power is the message he is sending," said Fr. Bramble.
"It is the most selfish act of any one who calls himself a priest. The Bible is very clear. It says we must not cause anyone to stumble, and this action will do precisely that. I want to go on the record in my opposition to the bishop's action."
Fr. Bramble wrote a second letter, in the same vein, to June Gerbracht, Secretary of the Diocesan Standing Committee. The Standing committee however, voted secretly in February, to authorize the reinstatement of Andries.
Andries was exposed (literally with full frontal pictures) in Penthouse magazine with full details of his sexual escapades.
A second priest in the diocese also confirmed the actions of the Standing Committee, describing it as "outrageous."
"Walker had to remove Andries from the priesthood, and now wants to reinstate him. This is an outrage. I hope you will help us to educate our church members and hold this man accountable," said another priest.
The story in Penthouse exposed a sex ring that Andries had set up, bringing young men to America for sex.
Vincent Welch, President of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, a lay Episcopal movement of man that promotes the Gospel of Jesus Christ said his brotherhood opposes homosexuality in the church. "I am a communicant in this diocese and it causes me much pain when this kind of thing happens."
"As a former member of the standing committee and one of the persons that was supposed to be part of the investigation into the "Boys from Brazil" scandal, I would hope that it is just rumors that Lloyd Andries would be reinstated and not fact. The Diocese of Long Island cannot endure what I feel would happen if he is reinstated. As a member of this Diocese, wherever I have traveled in and out of this country, I am constantly subjected to cheap shots about the leadership in this Diocese."
Walker has long been an "evangelist" for the gay movement in the diocese rather than a shepherd for the Gospel. "This travesty needs to be exposed," said another priest who asked not to be named.
The Bishop did not return calls.
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