Bishops Declare Open War On The Pope As Too Soft On Homophobia
None of us needs to be reminded of just how homophobic the U.S. Catholic bishops are. But the bishops clearly feel a refresher is in order for Pope Francis. In what is close to becoming an open revolt, the U.S. bishops are letting the pope know in no uncertain terms that they believe homophobia = Catholicism and that they are more Catholic than the pope.
And the pope is letting them know who’s the boss.
The bishops are gathering in Baltimore for their annual jamboree, and while their ostensible agenda is, in the words of one journalist, “sleep inducing,” the actual agenda is the battle brewing between the bishops and Pope Francis. Following the Vatican synod last month, many of the bishops are fuming that the pope is abandoning the hardcore homophobia that has been their bread and butter.
“Many of the U.S. bishops have been disoriented by what this new pope is saying and I don’t see them really as embracing the pope’s agenda,” said John Thavis, a former Rome bureau chief for Catholic News Service, told the Associated Press.
And they’re not trying to hide their displeasure. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, RI, said that the synod was “rather Protestant.” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who won his position through homophobia, said that the synod created confusion about Church teaching and “I think confusion is of the devil.”
No one has been more hard core than Cardinal Raymond Burke (pictured below), formerly the flame-throwing archbishop of St. Louis, whom Pope Benedict appointed the equivalent of chief justice of the Vatican court system. Burke has gone so far as to say that the Church is risking a schism by moving “contrary to the constant teaching and practice of the Church.” What he’s really talking about is softening the Church’s stance on LGBT issues, even if actual policies don’t change.
Pope Francis sent the bishops a strong signal about where he stands by formally demoting Burke just two days before the bishops met. The pope busted Burke to the ceremonial position of protectorate of the Knights of Malta. The move was a brutal reminder of just who holds the power in the Church.
Some of the bishops have been trying to paper over the differences by madly spinning the press.
“What I heard and read, the real synod was divisive, confrontational, partisan, and dwelt only on same sex-marriage, cohabitation and divorce,” New York’s Timothy Dolan said Monday. “In fact it was plodding, even at times tedious, but it was a synod of consensus.”
Dolan is going to have to revisit that statement in the confessional, because it’s clearly untrue. The document that the synod originally floated was much more pro-gay. It was watered down because the conservative bishops, many of them from the U.S., blew a gasket. That’s not the definition of consensus.
The fact is, the landscape for the U.S. bishops has changed, and they don’t know how to deal with it.
“It used to be your career in the church could be advanced if you took a hard stance on issues,” the Rev. James Bretzke, a professor of moral theology at Boston College, told the Boston Herald. “Pope Francis wants people who are more bridge builders instead of bridge burners.”
That won’t stop the hard-core homophobes from taking a few more bridges with them before they go. They’re probably hoping that the pope is standing on one of them.
About author
You might also like
Idris Elba’s Awesome Response To Bond Writer’s ‘Too Street For Bond’ Comments
You’d forgive Idris Elba for being a wee bit tired of the constant James Bond talk, but it seems he’s still able to see the funny side. Days ago, current
Rentboy.com Is Shut Down In Prostitution Sting, Michael Lucas Speaks Out
The US gay community, especially the sex-worker community, was recently flabbergasted over the federal raid of Rentboy.com. The news, which shook the intersecting worlds of porn, porn stars, and hookers,
Nigerian Man’s Tweets Expose The Homophobic Nature of The Nigerian Male Privilege
Someone, a lady, once tweeted that no matter what they claim to the contrary, straight men understand consent. You just have to put them in a position where their space
27 Comments
Max
November 16, 04:59Hmmmnmmm.. Lemme wait for other comments…
enigmous
November 16, 05:47Interesting…I will like to see where this leads to. Hopefully the full story will come out very soon.
Absalom
November 16, 05:53LOL. What has the Pope said or done that is so “soft” on homophobia? Has the Church started wedding same-sex couples?
pinkpanthertb
November 16, 05:54I tire.
I just think its his generally more accepting stance on homosexuality that they find so galling
chestnut
November 16, 07:59So how exactly do they want him to express homophobia? What is he required to do? What is he currently doing or not doing,that isn’t in line with what they want? I’ve never heard anywhere that he actually “endorsed” homosexuality. He basically says “leave judgement for God and Love ur neighbours like God said we should”. So is he now supposed to write/give homophobic speeches each week? Or is he supposed to assembly a secret police and go from house to house,seeking to arrest and kill gay people? What exactly do they want him to start doing now? I’m so confused…
pinkpanthertb
November 16, 08:07To stop saying the House of God is welcome to us gay lot to come as we are, I suppose.
Kryss S
November 16, 06:10I wouldn’t be surprised if d Pope develops a strange illness or dies in his sleep soon! Those cardinals can b very brutal, dangerous nd evil when stepped on!
pinkpanthertb
November 16, 06:14You’d think that with the kind of profession they’ve chosen, they’d be more Christ-like. smh
Kryss S
November 16, 07:21Christ-like indeed Pinky! Christianity is a thing of the mind nd not by d physical oh! Only God knows who worships him in truth nd spirit. From time immemorial, d Cardinals have being known to do worst things than the worst pagans ever known/recorded!
Ace
November 16, 07:00The earlier people understand that LGBT and Christianity with always be at opposing sides of the pole, the better for them. Right now, i really care less of what the church. If dem gree hmmm, if dem no gree hmmm.
Dennis Macauley
November 16, 07:59Who has seen “Borgia”?
Watch it to see how these people roll!
They are brutal
pinkpanthertb
November 16, 08:08I have. And yes, these Vatican heads can be mean sonofabitches
Absalom
November 16, 09:08Yeah. I saw one season of “The Borgias”.
Read Mario Puzo’s novel, “The Family”. About same Borgias.
Chuck
November 16, 14:35you know those things are fifction, yeah? They’ve been sensationalised.
gad
November 16, 10:38Christ remains the head of His body, the Church. I might not understand all the inner workings in the roman catholic church but I know that it’s very democratic in its decisions. The Pope is a cardinal only chosen by other cardinals so whatever decisions reached amongs the college of cardinals is arrived at democratically and not vetoed. My amusement stems from the fact that these Bishops are western and not African… However, whatever comes or goes, I still see the Roman Church as very disciplined,intelectual and honest. One church,one faith,one Lord
Dubem
November 16, 11:03Disciplined. Intellectual. Honest. Lol. OK. Dude be trying so hard to convince all y’all.
Dom
November 16, 13:57For their annual jamboree? Bia nwa, chukwu gaha eji glue ñachie gi onu.
gad
November 16, 15:23Let’s just assume that words like synod, convention,retreat, etc escaped the writer,s memory at the time he/she was writing this.
tinocompadre
November 16, 14:42To think that this same people are the ones who secretly abuse young boys…
Until the Pope sanctions flogging someone at the confessional that is when they will realise that we are no longer in Vatican 1
Khaleesi
November 16, 20:37You cannot begin to fathom the immensity of the fuck that i dont give about the bigotry of this bunch …. ***yawn****
pinkpanthertb
November 16, 20:44Oh I think I have an idea, Mother of Dragons. 🙂
Legalkoboko
November 16, 22:34For these people, it’s ok to be gay as long as you aren’t honest about it. They vast majority of the US priests are gay. The priesthood there is so gay now that straight guys don’t just want to get near. There is a big vocation crises there now: only gay guys turn up at seminaries.
Yet, there Bishops (many of them gay ) define themselves by their homophobia.
This is part of the reason why I keep away from churches nowadays. The level of hypocrisy is simply lethal.
pinkpanthertb
November 17, 03:10Hush Legal. Speak not so about the Roman Catholic church. Gad says it is disciplined, intellectual and HONEST.
gad
November 17, 03:52I was Referring to the church as an institution and not to a few individuals in the church
Legalkoboko
November 17, 10:41gad, a few individuals okwia?
If you think the mess in all the churches (not just the Catholic church ) is the fault of “a few individuals”.I will advise you to wake up now before that dream turns to a nightmare.
pinkpanthertb
November 17, 12:09But of course ‘the church’ is separate from ‘a few individuals’. Let it not be said that the they are one and the same. Lol
gad
November 17, 15:38Thank God that one has the choice to either accept or take an advise. I prefer to continue in my dream… * snoring heavily *