Kansas City archbishop settles lawsuit against Satanist group over alleged stolen Eucharist

 

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday settled a lawsuit against the leaders of a Kansas Satanist group after the defendants testified under oath that the hosts and wine they plan to desecrate in a Satanic ritual are not “Catholic in origin.”

Naumann had on March 14 filed a lawsuit in Leavenworth County District Court seeking an order to secure the safe return of the Eucharist from the co-founder of the Satanist group, who had allegedly boasted online of possessing a “consecrated host” that the group intends to desecrate during an upcoming “black mass.”

The defendants in the suit were Michael T. Stewart and Travis L. Roberts, both Kansas residents who, according to the suit, are co-founders of the Satanic Grotto, also known as the Grotto Society, which is a nonprofit registered in Linwood, Kansas.

In the suit, Naumann alleged that Stewart had posted online that the group has “secured a consecrated host” that they intend to desecrate during a planned “black mass” set to be held March 28 on the grounds of the Kansas state capitol.

“Satanist” groups intending to stage so-called “black masses” — a direct mockery of the Catholic Mass — have on at least one other occasion boasted of possessing a stolen consecrated host with an intent to desecrate the Eucharist in an unspecified but profane ritual.

The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist, while retaining the appearance of bread and wine, is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.

As the leader of the Catholic Church in the region, Naumann appealed to Kansas law related to the return of personal property, saying the Satanists are not authorized to possess the consecrated bread and wine and, if they do in fact have them, must have obtained them illegally.

“[A]ny and all consecrated host(s) and any amount of consecrated wine is the property of the Catholic Church, and thus Archbishop Naumann, as the custodian of such property being located within the territory of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, is entitled to immediate delivery of such property,” the lawsuit reads.

As evidence that Stewart and Roberts had the Eucharist, Naumann submitted screenshots of Reddit posts in which a user “xsimon666x” said they had “already secured a consecrated host” and “wine too” for the desecration ritual. The defendants admitted during the proceedings that the xsimon666x username is one of their pseudonyms.

A promotional flyer for the “mass” posted on Reddit lists the “components” of the ritual, which include the “Denounciation [sic] of Christ,” the “Desecration of the Eucharist,” and the “Corruption of the Blood.”

Naumann stressed the “incalculable” value of the Eucharist as one of several reasons the court should compel its safe return to the Church.

“A host is simply a piece of bread. However, a consecrated host — including the consecrated host that [is] the subject of this action — is a host that has undergone the transubstantiation and is now the body of Jesus Christ,” the suit notes.

“Likewise, the wine used at the Mass is simply common wine. However, once the wine has undergone transubstantiation it becomes consecrated wine, and thus the blood of Jesus Christ.”

For his part, Stewart, who has described himself as an atheist who does not believe in Satan, denied the theft allegations in comments to the Kansas Reflector and said that “no one asked” what consecration means to him.

“I find it very entertaining that [Naumann] is convinced that I have Jesus trapped in a cracker and he would take it to court,” Stewart is quoted as saying.

Court documents show that Stewart and Roberts answered the lawsuit’s allegations, in part, by contending that “there is no evidence that the host to which defendants refer in their posts is a Catholic Eucharist host” and that “the Catholic Church does not have a monopoly on Communion or the consecration of hosts or wine.”

“The hosts that are the subject of this lawsuit are not Catholic in origin,” the defendants maintained.

The Kansas Catholic Conference, in a statement provided to CNA, called the Satanist group’s assurances that they did not steal and do not possess the Eucharist an “unexpected but welcome development” that alleviates many of the Church’s “grave concerns.”

However, they noted that the Satanist group is still planning to defile a Bible, crucifix, and other Christian symbols and that Catholics should still pray for the conversion of those planning to take part.

“We now have a sworn statement before a judge that the group does not possess a validly consecrated host,” said Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference.

“This alleviates a major concern. It is still sad that a group can get permission to use the statehouse grounds when their sole purpose is mockery and denigration of not just Catholics but people of all denominations,” he said.

Amid a heated debate among Kansas lawmakers as to whether the event should be allowed to go forward March 28, Gov. Laura Kelly last week said she has “limited authority” to cancel the event, instead decreeing that the event must take place outside and not inside the building itself. A Catholic-led petition asking Kelly to shut down the event has attracted over 40,000 signatures as of Thursday.

The Catholic bishops of the state are urging the faithful to counter the planned event through prayer, good works such as seeking out volunteer opportunities with Catholic Charities, and by contacting their lawmakers to ask them to shut the event down.

During the Satanic event, Naumann will be leading a Holy Hour at Assumption Catholic Church, which is directly across the street from the capitol. The Holy Hour will begin at 11 a.m. followed by noon Mass. Similar Holy Hours and Masses are planned in the neighboring Kansas dioceses of Wichita, Salina, and Dodge City.

The planned Satanic ritual is an “affront to all Christians,” Naumann noted in the statement, but he urged the faithful not to “succumb to anger and violence, as that would be cooperating with the devil.”

“Rather, approach this situation with confidence in God’s ultimate victory over Satan, sin, and death as stated in Matthew 16:18,” the archbishop concluded.

Nearby Benedictine College announced March 10 that students and staff will be dedicating the month’s weekly Holy Hours, rosaries, and Memorare prayers to the intention of the conversion of those involved in the sacrilegious event and to the intention that faith will grow in Kansas.

Catholic opposition to “black mass” events has a history of success in recent years.

Last October, Catholics in Atlanta were outraged and called to prayer when a “black mass” event was announced by the Satanic Temple, a provocative Salem, Massachusetts-based political organization that denies belief in the supernatural and is known for protesting religious symbolism in public spaces.

After legal action by the Atlanta Archdiocese, the Satanic Temple admitted it did not have a consecrated host and did not intend to use one in its “mass.”

In 2014, a planned “black mass” at Harvard University sparked considerable outcry from Catholics, as did another one later that year in Oklahoma City. The latter led to a successful lawsuit from the Oklahoma City Archdiocese against an occult group that claimed to have obtained a consecrated host, leading to the host’s safe return.