(Weekly Column)
The Roman Catholic Church’s toxic obsession with homosexuality manifests itself in countless ways. The most recent anti-gay outburst came from the Chicago Archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, who foolishly compared the LGBT community to the Ku Klux Klan.
George’s offensive remarks came during a dispute over the scheduled starting time of the annual LGBT pride parade. The June 2012 event was originally set to begin at 10am, but a priest bitterly complained that this would interfere with morning services.
In an interview with Fox News in Chicago, Cardinal George said: “Well, I go with the pastor. I mean, he’s telling us that they won’t be able to have Church services on Sunday, if that’s the case. You know, you don’t want the Gay Liberation Movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism.”
Cardinal George’s outrageous comparison of the LGBT community to the Ku Klux Klan was so degrading and hurtful that apologizing will not be sufficient. He has crossed so far over the line of basic decency that he couldn’t see it with a pair of binoculars. His only road to redemption is handing in his resignation. If George has a shred of dignity and a sliver of class he will immediately step down. To help influence his decision my organization, Truth Wins Out, launched a petition that has already been signed by more than 4,000 people.
First, bringing the KKK into a logistical discussion over a parade’s starting time is as brazen as it is bizarre. Especially, when the problem had already been resolved in good faith by changing the jump off time to noon. With no logical reason to bring this hate group into the mix, it is fair to assume that the nasty analogy was a cheap shot and a low blow designed to slime the LGBT community. If George’s intention was to play demagogue by unfairly pairing the LGBT community with vile imagery, he should have simply gone all the way and thrown in the Nazis, Charles Manson, Jim Jones, and Osama bin Laden. These odious examples would have made as much sense as the Klan comparison.
Second, how does one compare a peaceful movement of non-violent tax paying families to a group with a unique history of terror in the United States? Can the good Cardinal provide examples of masked homosexuals showing up at Catholic Churches and burning crosses or other objects on their lawns? Can George show us evidence that LGBT people are lynching people of faith? Are their choirboys and nuns hanging from trees that we don’t know about? Apparently, he can’t back up his irrational position and this is why he refused to appear on Chicago’s WGN radio to discuss his remarks, as I did on Tuesday morning.
Third, George falsely claimed that the LGBT parade was about “demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism.” This far out assessment is simply paranoid and delusional. While the rabidly homophobic positions of Rome have rightfully angered many LGBT activists, the vast majority of parade marchers and spectators don’t go to make a political statement, but to have a good time. Such parades also include a large number of LGBT Catholics and organizations that represent the gay faithful.
It is a mark of George’s solipsism that he thinks we are as obsessed about the Roman Catholic Church as it is about our lives. Despite the Vatican’s best efforts to harm our families, most LGBT Catholics choose to follow the lead of their straight counterparts and ignore the more medieval and extreme proclamations from Rome.
For instance, the Public Religion Research Institute showed “nearly three-quarters of Catholics favor either allowing gay and lesbian people to marry (43%) or allowing them to form civil unions (31%). Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.”
Such polling may explain why George tried to backtrack on Christmas day: “Obviously, it’s absurd to say the gay and lesbian community are the Ku Klux Klan, but if you organize a parade that looks like parades that we’ve had in our past because it stops us from worshipping God, well then that’s the comparison, but it’s not with people – it’s the parade.”
Obviously, this is another ridiculous response. Parades are not simply unattended rolling floats and hovering balloons – but events that are defined by the people marching. George’s dissembling continues when he says such parades “stops us from worshipping God.”
I’d like examples of where George was prohibited by the LGBT community from worshiping. Of course, he won’t provide any – because this is more about George’s dishonesty and hyperbole than it is about reality. At this point, the best George can do is to proclaim that he meant to say “gay, gay, gay” and it mistakenly came out KKK.
People like this have the blood of suicide victims on their hands! Christian? I think not. Christ would be appalled. Shame on this horrible person! Is it my imagination or is the Catholic church becoming more homophobic? It makes me sick to think of all of the hard earned money my parents gave them over the years .. now that money is being used to demonize me.
It is not your imagination. The past two popes have been filling their bishoprics with hardened sycophantic conservatives in order to roll back the clock on Vatican 2. Just as the Amerikan conservatives have tried to stack the supreme court over the past 30 years, their blessed poperies have effectively promoted rigid conformists, misogynists and reactionaries as bishops. And now we have the result of them waging open crusades against LGBT people in Maine, Minnesota, California and elsewhere. Any woman or LGBT person who gives them a thin dime is nuts.
The Bishop to the Satanists, ‘Let the little children come onto me.’
The Satanist to the Bishop, ‘No.’
The Bishop to the Satanist, ‘If I get past you those children are my pleasure.’
The Satanist to the Bishop, ‘If.’
Satanist or GLBITQ, We’ve been accused of it without evidence. They get away with it by moving to fresh pastures. How does that work?
Wash your fingers, mister catholic pederastic priest, before you point at my spots. [Ben Franklin, sort of.]
And here is their response to me. Oh, it would be nice to use this against their “come back to church” ads not on TV. Perhaps they should’ve been asking WHY they left in the first place.
=======================
Statement from Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago
December 27, 2011
The Chicago Gay Pride Parade has been organized and attended for many years without interfering with the worship of God in a Catholic church. When the 2012 Parade organizers announced a time and route change this year, it was apparent that the Parade would interfere with divine worship in a Catholic parish on the new route. When the pastor’s request for reconsideration of the plans was ignored, the organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church. One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940′s, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.
It is terribly wrong and sinful that gays and lesbians have been harassed and subjected to psychological and even physical harm. These tragedies can be addressed, however, without disturbing the organized and orderly public worship of God in a country that claims to be free. I am grateful that all parties concerned resolved this problem by moving the Parade’s start time so as not to conflict with the celebration of Mass that Sunday.
“now on TV.” sorry.
“Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.” and most of those are the elderly.
I think the RCC is so obsessed with gays, not only because they are losing (have lost) the ‘culture wars’, but also because they have so many gays within their own organization and are afraid that the ‘mad aunt’ that they keep locked away in the turret will soon get out and take over the entire castle.
@Paul Yes Paul you are so right!! But The Pope not being a good CEO! We all know it’s about money and retaining existing Catholics and welcoming new parishioners so that the church can acquire more money. Not only have I left the church but so have my siblings and friends. They all disagree on their stance towards homosexuality and the treatment of women. Parishes are closing all over the country due to lack of followers and law suites being lost due to pedophile priests. The younger generation is not going to embrace such antiquated stances. In the business world the Pope would be fired!
This statement does go so far as to further conflate gay people with organizing for the purpose of doing HARM. This is a slanderous statement.
Slander is usually actionable. It’s NOT protected speech.
Countdown to when he’ll try and take cover under the 1st amendment of the Constitution.
It’s inevitable that hypocrisy follows the slander and libel (in other words, false witness).
This is the church that doesn’t believe in following man’s rules, but God’s.
However, it’s man’s Constitutional law that will ALWAYS be the fall back position.
Someone should ask the Cardinal what his gay nephew thinks of his comments, a man the Cardinal has said he thinks very highly of.
@Thomas Potter — The thing about Satanists is, they actually have a specific rule forbidding harm to children.
I can just picture my late mother just shaking her head and saying “This is exactly the reason, why I left the church”.