Monday, February 22, 2016

Catholic Archbishop Urges Parishes to Cut Ties to Girl Scouts

As the Academy Award nominated movie Spotlight has shown, the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy had - and I believe still has - a policy of covering up for sexual predator priests.  Indeed, the conspiracy was worldwide and reached all the way up to the Papacy of the anything but saintly Pope John Paul II.  Equally disturbing, NO bishop or cardinal has been removed from their position by the Vatican and/or cut off from lifetime support by the Church.  Yet what is  St Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson (pictured above) having a hissy fit over?  The Girl Scouts.  That's right, the Girl Scouts.  Why?  Because the organization isn't sufficiently anti-LGBT.  Specifically, Carlson is concerned that about the "messages the Girl Scouts may be giving members around sexuality and reproductive health rights and their welcoming of transgender girls into scouting."  Priests raping children and youths, the bishops and cardinals engaging in criminal conspiracies to obstruct justice and threatening victims and their families seemingly causes Carlson no concern, but treating transgender youth decently and educating girls about their own bodies is beyond the pale with this sick misogynist.  Gay Star News has details.  Here are highlights:
One of the top Catholics in the US state of Missouri is urging churches to cut ties with the Girl Scouts as he says the organization promotes positions on sexuality that contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church.

St Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson made the call in an 18 February letter to clergy announcing that a new Catholic Committee for Girls Formation was being created to minister to all girls in the Archdiocese of St Louis.

‘We must stop and ask ourselves — is Girl Scouts concerned with the total well-being of our young women?’ Archbishop Carlson asked.

The letter stated that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been investigating concerns about the Girl Scouts of the USA and its parent organization, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, for several years.

The Catholic leadership’s concerns center around what messages the Girl Scouts may be giving members around sexuality and reproductive health rights and their welcoming of transgender girls into scouting.

A document published on the Archdiocese of St Louis website lists the Catholic Church’s ‘ongoing concerns’ about the girl scouts details ‘transgender and homosexual concerns’ including refusing a donation of $100,000 that was tied to the stipulation that none of the money could be used to support transgender girls.

The church is also concerned that the Girl Scouts have used their social media accounts to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling that brought same-sex marriage to all 50 states as one of the top moments of 2015.

By promoting our local Girl Scout troops to our young women, we are helping them forming an allegiance to an organization that is becoming increasingly incompatible with Catholic values.’

‘As Girl Scouts continues to increase their presence on social media in an effort to reach young women, we are saddened that what our young women will often find is in conflict with our Catholic faith.’

Archbishop Carlson is also concerned that the Girl Scouts promote feminists like Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan as ‘role models in conflict with Catholic values.’

The Archbishop has stopped short of ordering priests to kick girl scout troupes out of their churches but is asking them to consider alternative programs that are more faith based.
Child rapists can be protected by the Church and supported for the rest of their lives, but acceptance of transgender youth and modern knowledge on sexuality and health decisions is not.  As I have asked before, why do decent and moral people remain Catholic?

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