Knights of Columbus Hypocrisy

As the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal has unfolded and as many hundreds of thousands of dollars better used to assist the poor and families has been diverted to anti-gay marriage initiatives, the Knights of Columbus has become a caricature of what is wrong within the Roman Catholic laity. Intelligent thought and reason are thrown to the wind and obscene levels of ass kissing and brown noising of corrupt bishops, cardinals - and yes Popes - who have been involved in what I believe was/is a criminal conspiracy to obstruct justice and cover up the sexual abuse of minors have become the Knight's reason d'etre. Instead of being the defenders of children and families, the Knights have become sycophants of corrupt clerics who ought to be behind bars rather than posturing as pious men of God. I was a Fourth Degree Knight and a charter member of a council in Virginia Beach so I am well versed in the disingenuous propaganda funnelled to the Knights by the Church hierarchy. Today, I'd be embarrassed to say I was a Knight given the Order's utter failure to demand accountability from the hierarchy. With its vast amount of money, the Knights COULD make a difference, but instead the Order is part of the problem. Rather than tackle the problems in the Church the Knights are complicit lap dogs of the morally bankrupt and squander money on anti-gay efforts that in no way further a loving Christian Gospel message. A story a fellow blogger sent me from Connecticut illustrates the fool's errand mentality that is so pervasive within the KofC. Here are some highlights:

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The phone calls have been coming into the state Capitol fast and furious about the bill to codify the state Supreme Court ruling legalizing same sex marriage in Connecticut. . . . priests at Sunday's Catholic masses in the state read messages from local bishops and the Knights of Columbus, pushing for new language in the Same Sex Marriage Bill that is scheduled to come up for debate, Wednesday, in the state Senate.

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"We believe that if the legislature is going to codify Kerrigan, which is the decision which allows gay marriage in Connecticut, they should also provide in that statute the opportunity for the Knights of Columbus and other religious associations and organizations to have their religious views respected as a fundamental right under the constitution," said Attorney John Droney of the Knights of Columbus.

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The co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee say everyone's religious rights are fully protected by the state and federal constitutions and the bill doesn't change that. "It's very disheartening to see so many people dumping so many resources into peddling misinformation in this state," said Sen. Andrew McDonald (D-Judiciary Committee).

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The Knights have lost their moral compass and have become an organization little better than Traditional Values Coalition or Concerned Women for America except with a lot more money.