Hypocrisy on Display: Richmond Bishop Francis DiLorenzo

On issues of human sexuality the Roman Catholic Church continues to ignore modern knowledge and science, especially on issues of sexual orientation.  Rather than accept the fact that homosexuality is (i) a normal, naturally occurring condition for a portion of the world's population, and (ii) no more sinful than breathing, the Church continues to embrace 13th century batshitery first launched by individuals who modern experts would likely label as mentally disturbed.  Locally, one of the worse proponents of such backwardness is the Bishop of the Diocese of Richmond, Bishop Francis DiLorenzo, who is virulently anti-gay.  Similarly, he believes in the subjugation of women to men and bars divorced and remarried Catholics from positions  in the diocese's schools.  Yet this Neanderthal knuckle dragger is now exhorting local Catholics to accept the science of climate change.  As regular readers know, I am all for accepting and acting on scientific knowledge of climate change and regularly , but for DiLorenzo to suddenly embrace knowledge and science on every other issue, is the height of hypocrisy.  The Virginian Pilot looks at this hypocrisy on display:

Responding to Pope Francis' call this summer for prompt action to address climate change, Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo told an audience of about 200 Tuesday night that people must learn about the science of what is happening to the world.

DiLorenzo's remarks came at the start of a symposium of theologians and climate experts, including retired naval officers, that was sparked by the lengthy papal encyclical in June that called for a worldwide effort to confront climate change.

The pontiff condemned the destruction of the environment for personal profit and short-term gain. Such a pronouncement from the pope in a formal letter to Catholics is considered an authoritative teaching.

The bishop said he believes the region's Catholics should begin with stronger education about environmental problems and issues in the church's elementary and high schools, as well as colleges and adult education.

Tackling environmental problems is in keeping with the Catholic beliefs that "every human being has the right to life, food, clothing, shelter, health care," he said.

The last part of the quoted language is perhaps the most hypocritical since DiLorenzo consistently opposes any and every gay friendly proposal in Virginia as well as women's rights.   He epitomizes the bitter old men in dresses that are steadily killing Catholicism in America.  Oh, and before he condemns gays, perhaps he should focus on his own sin of gluttony - the man obviously hasn't missed any meals given his large girth.

Catholicism Comes to a Crossroads

Many of the bitter old men in dresses in bishoprics across the western world refuse to admit that times and people have changed and that the Roman Catholic Church is at a likely crossroads that requires that the Church come out of 13th century beliefs or face growing irrelevance.  It is a reality that man of these less than decent men don't want to accept, the arch-reactionary bishop of Richmond, Virginia (who was installed in office by the less than saintly John Paul II, a protector of child rapists) being a prime example.  Not only is he viciously anti-gay, but he still treats divorced and remarried Catholics as lepers and bars them from positions in Catholic schools.  A piece in the Richmond Times Dispatch looks at the crossroads before the Church:

Today’s rapidly changing social views are demanding some uncharacteristically hasty action from the Vatican. The issues of same-sex marriage and the role of homosexuals in the Catholic Church threaten to create seismic divisions within the church or perhaps even leave it in a position of irrelevance.

Currently, 22 nations have legalized same-sex marriage. Many of those are traditionally Catholic-majority countries. In May, Ireland became the first nation to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. The predominantly Roman Catholic nation stood tall in its opposition to the church’s position, with 62 percent voting in favor of same-sex marriage.

And what was the Vatican’s response? Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state, called the vote “a defeat for humanity.” But the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, had a different take. He bluntly admitted that it was time for the Church to do a reality check and ask itself if it has drifted away from young people.

A little more than one month later, the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage was a constitutional right. That same day, June 26, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued this statement: “Today is a tragic day for marriage and our nation. The Supreme Court has dealt a profound injustice to the American people by striking down in part the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court got it wrong. The federal government ought to respect the truth that marriage is the union of one man and one woman, even where states fail to do so.”

So, what happens to the Catholic Church? How can the Roman pontiff continue to exercise supreme and full power within the universal church if its flock in the Western nations deliberately flouts Catholic teachings? Does the church remain rigid and unbending even if many of the faithful leave for other churches more welcoming to gay and lesbian family members and friends? How does the Church remain relevant to young men and women who are far, far more accepting of same-sex marriage then their parents?

Catholics in Western nations represent only a small portion of the church and the religion is not growing in Ireland or anywhere else in Europe. (Nor is it growing particularly fast in the U.S.)

Thanks to social media, we have seen the grim images of violence toward gays and lesbians in nations where homosexuality is considered a crime. Compare those to the joyful celebrations that took place across Ireland and the U.S. when gay marriage was legalized.

I wonder: Which of these attitudes has His fingerprints all over it?

Hate Group Leaders React to 4th Circuit Ruling

Here in Virginia, anti-gay hate groups and their out of state allies are beside themselves over the 4th Circuits 100% correct ruling that the Marshall Newman Amendment violates the United States Constitution.  Victoria Cobb of The Family Foundation ("TFF") - an organization which was one of the architects of the Marshall-Newman Amendment which pushed for its passage with lie filled propaganda - is acting as if someone took a huge dump in her Cheerios. Worse yet, she is disingenuously whining about caring about children who need a "mom and dad" even though once children exit from their mothers' womb, TFF's fetus worship stops and children are basically kicked to the curb except in the context on using children as a weapon to fight gay rights.  TFF spends lots of money, but very little goes to feeding the hungry, clothing the naked or sheltering the homeless.  One might even describe Ms. Cobb as Virginia's number one modern day Pharisee.

Not to be outdone, the extremely reactionary and anti-gay animus filled Bishop of Richmond,  Paul Loverde, is likewise acting as if the sky is falling.  Like Cobb, Loverde feigns concern for children, yet one doesn't hear him speaking out for the sacking of priests, bishops and cardinals implicated in the sexual abuse of children and youths.   Along with Cobb, Del. Bob Marshall and failed gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, Loverde invested a great deal of effort into passing the Marshall-Newman Amendment and force parishes in the Diocese to read an anti-gay letter in the weeks before the vote in 2006.  If one wants a modern day example of the neurotic - can we say psychotic - sexually obsessed, sexually frustrated ascetic clerics described in "The Origins and Role of Seme-Sex Relations in Human Societies" that I have referenced in several posts, look no further than Loverde.

And what group of gay haters would be complete without the shockingly misnamed hate group Family Research Council (the only research that FRC advocates is that of right wing quacks some of whom have been thrown out of legitimate professional associations because of their fraudulent "research").  Leading the charge against the 4th Circuit is Peter Sprigg, a man who has ZERO legal credentials, and who spent much of his "career" as an actor in a "Christian acting troupe."  Sprigg accuse the 4th Circuit of ignoring "natural law" - a theory concocted over a 1,000 years ago by church leaders who might nowadays be deemed inane or mentally ill.  This is the same crowd that believed that a husband and wife were fornicators or "adulterers" if they enjoyed sex too much - Victoria Cobb likely believes this batshitery.