Monday, June 30, 2008

More from Minneapolis

Archbishop Nienstadt has plenty of allies. This lady absolutely nails the issue in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The real story behind the gay pride issue at St. Joan

By KATHERINE KERSTEN,
Star Tribune June 29, 2008

"Last week, controversy erupted when Archbishop John Nienstedt informed St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Minneapolis that it could not hold a gay pride prayer service in its sanctuary. The service -- held for several years in conjunction with the annual Twin Cities Gay Pride festival -- celebrates the gay identity.

In response, organizers moved the celebration outside the church. One gay activist attended in what must have struck him as a clown's outfit, given the occasion -- the robes of an archbishop, miter and all.

David McCaffrey of the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities (CPCSM) condemned what he called Nienstedt's "reign of homophobic hatred."

In an e-mail to the group's members, he characterized the archbishop's decision as "yet another volley of dehumanizing spiritual violence directed at GLBT persons and their families."
Clearly, there is hatred here. But it is not coming from the Catholic Church. Rather, it's a tool of those who are trying to compel the church to conform to their personal demands with caricatures and public mockery.

Opponents charge that the church does not welcome gays. They point to the fact that the archdiocese won't sponsor a gay pride prayer service as evidence. . . "


Read the whole thing.

4 comments:

Jeff Miller said...

Katherine Kersten who is Catholic is one of the few good reporters at the Star Tribune along with James Lileks. She has written some great articles.

Anonymous said...

Kersten is not a reporter, and neither is Lileks. Both are columnists. There's a big difference.

Unknown said...

Kersten is not a reporter, and neither is Lileks. Both are columnists. There's a big difference.

Ok, good columnist. Everyone feel better now? Enough perhaps to interact with the content?

Anonymous said...

Someone else who stood up for not only Archbishop Nienstedt but also for Saint Joan of Arc was author Ben D. Kennedy. Read about the letters he sent here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2042531/posts
and here:
http://www.maidofheaven.com/sjoamn.asp