Norfolk Catholic Church Shows Its Hypocrisy in St. Patrick's Day Dust Up

Anti-gay, anti-woman Rev. Beerman

Other than worshiping unborn fetuses, bashing and denigrating the civil rights of gays, and striving to subordinate women to men, there seems to be little else that matters to supposed leaders in the Roman Catholic Church - especially the Gospel mandate of feeding the hungry, housing the homeless and caring for the sick.  A dust up over Terry McAuliffe's selection as grand marshal of Norfolk's St. Patrick's Day parade is bringing the warped priorities of the Church into sharp focus. Leading the charge in hypocrisy is Rev. Dan Beeman, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church which is located in the area of the city where the parade takes place. He is incensed that McAuliffe was selected  since McAuliffe supports gay marriage and believes a woman should have some level of control over her own body.  Meanwhile, Beeman has been silent on the Virginia GOP's war on the poor, the national GOP's reverse Robin Hood agenda, and other policy directly at odds with the Church's social gospel message (similarly, I have heard a peep out of Beeman about punishing bishops and cardinals who aided and abetted predator priests).  A piece in the Washington Post looks at the hypocrisy dripping batshitery.  Here are highlights:

A Norfolk Catholic church is refusing to participate in the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade this weekend because Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is leading the procession.

The Rev. Dan Beeman of Holy Trinity Catholic Church wrote a letter to parishioners saying he was “shocked and saddened” that the organizers had asked McAuliffe to be the parade’s grand marshal. 

“Governor McAuliffe stands contrary to the Catholic Church in not one but many of the most essential teachings of the Church in the political arena,” Beeman wrote.

McAuliffe spokesman Brian Coy responded in a statement: “The Governor is a lifelong Catholic who takes his faith very seriously. He also believes in keeping government out of decisions that should be left to women and their doctors, or to consenting adults who love each other.”

Beeman’s parish will not participate in the parade or any related events. The Ancient Order of Hibernians is withdrawing as well, taking with it several Catholic schools that were scheduled to attend at the order’s invitation. 

The parade has been organized every year since 1968 by a local council of the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal Catholic association that dates to the 1800s. In a statement, leaders of the state Knights of Columbus distanced themselves from the Norfolk chapter. 

“It is an erroneous and serious mistake in judgment for any Catholic organization to grant awards, honors and platforms to any public person who clearly acts in defiance to Catholic teaching,” wrote Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond and Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington. The state council was not consulted on the decision to honor McAuliffe, they said.

[P]arade organizers initially agreed to withdraw the invitation to the governor but then reversed that decision. Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam (D), who shares the governor’s views on abortion and gay marriage, was not allowed to lead the parade last year after similar protests.

Perhaps the local K of C chapter understands that the world is changing and that maintaining 13th century positions (i) bodes ill for the organization's future, and (ii) undermines popular participation in the event.  It should be noted that nationally, the K of C has spent millions of dollars opposing civil law gay marriage rather than feeding the hungry, housing the homeless and caring for the sick.  Just saying . . . .  Perhaps merchants in the area should take over sponsorship of the parade in future years.