The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have chosen Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York as president, the first to defeat a sitting vice president for the post. This is a horrible choice that will place the Catholic Church in the center of the Culture War.

Here is what the New York Times wrote:

He will become the face of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.

When public policy issues like abortion, same-sex marriage or health care cross paths with church doctrine, his will be the voice heard addressing Congressional committees. His name will be added to the speed-dial list of a platoon of church officials who work on Catholic concerns like liturgical translations and the plight of Christians in Baghdad. And all of those officials will want face time with him starting Thursday.

That is when Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York begins his three-year term as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It is galling that a church overrun with pedophile priests is working to undermine my adult relationship. Given his church’s ghastly record of covering up child rape, I’m not sure what Dolan has to offer in terms of morality or family values. If the Roman Catholic Church wants to jump into the culture wars and be political, we must not be deferential and show them respect that they have not earned.

Each time they demean our relationships, they must be met with this refrain: “A church that covers-up child rape has no business attacking healthy relationships between consenting adults. Get out of politics and get back into parishes, where you can protect kids from pedophiles.”

The reason we must respond this way is to send the message that attacking the LGBT community and lying about our families will be a painful experience for the Catholic Church. We must fight back and remember that we have no obligation to be Timothy Dolan’s punching bag.