For an institution that has literally paid out billions of dollars in sex abuse lawsuit settlements (well over $2 billion in the USA alone) and has a Church hierarchy still filled with bishops and cardinals who aided and abetted and covered up for priests who sexually abused children and youths, one would think the falsely pious bastards in the Catholic Church hierarchy would have the sense to keep their mouths shut when it comes to condemning others. But such is not the case. Perhaps because too much of the Catholic laity continues to idiotically give financial support to the Church and kisses the asses of nasty men who in many cases ought to be behind bars as accessories to the sexual abuse of minors.A case in point of a cleric who has no business opening his mouth on anything is Chicago Cardinal Francis George. As Bishop Accountability reports (click on the link "George") based on a Dallas Morning News investigation, Cardinal George has been directly implicated in protecting sexual predator priests. Yet despite this possible criminal conduct, George has the audacity to compare the gay rights movement to the Klux Klux Klan. If that's the case then, I guess it's fair game to compare George to a pimp who specializes in peddling underage prostitutes. Truly, as I have noted before, I do not see how any truly moral person can remain a Catholic given the foulness and moral bankruptcy of the Church's leadership. Here are highlights from the Chicago Tribune.
Chicago's Cardinal Francis George has never been shy about expressing his views on divisive issues like abortion rights and civil unions for same-sex couples. But gay rights groups said the Chicago archbishop crossed the line when he compared the gay rights movement to the Ku Klux Klan. George's comments aired Wednesday during a Fox Chicago newscast. The entire interview is slated to run Sunday evening.
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." George said.
Pressed by Fox Chicago's Mike Flannery and Dane Placko, George acknowledged that it was a strong analogy, but reiterated his sentiment. "The rhetoric of the Ku Klux Klan; the rhetoric of some of the gay liberation people — who is the enemy? Who is the enemy? The Catholic Church," George said.
In October, city officials and parade organizers agreed to change the route and time of the gay pride parade in order to safely accommodate larger crowds, moving it from noon to 10 a.m. But leaders with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, which would be on the new parade route, later objected, arguing that it would interrupt morning services. On Wednesday, an agreement was reached to move the start time back to noon.
Anthony Martinez, executive director of The Civil Rights Agenda, a Chicago-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group, said he was so shocked when he watched a clip of the interview online that he had to stop and replay it. "I literally had no words," Martinez said. "To equate a movement that is about acceptance, diversity and joy to a group of men in white hoods standing on a lawn and burning a cross is very hurtful and it's just not truthful."
The Rev. Thomas Srenn, senior pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, declined to comment Thursday about the cardinal's comments, saying he had not contacted George about the parade changes because it was a local issue. A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said people should view the entire interview, which will air on Christmas Day. "Whether it was the best choice of analogy I don't know.
If anything ought to be equated with the Klan it's the Church hierarchy that continues to go out of its way to denigrate LGBT individuals, deprive us of civil rights and depicts us as objects to be subjected to hate and scorn. Cardinal George was obviously looking in the mirror and engaging in transference when he made his hateful comments.
