Sometimes the news that surrounds us becomes so overwhelming that you just want to run away and go sit on a lush green hillside in County Mayo, Ireland. Everything is so peaceful there. The scenery is lovely to look at and free of the stench that is created by man as he looks for ways to insult God and His laws.
That stink is extremely prevalent in New York City these days, as the city is fast approaching its annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade—an event once fit for the 100 percent Irish men and women like that city’s chief Catholic leader, Cardinal Timothy Dolan. But there is a fly in the ointment this year. It seems that the parade has been quite literally taken over by the activist homosexual rights community.
You see, there used to be a ban on openly “gay” groups marching in that parade, but last September the ban was lifted. The New York Times reported, “The decision is a striking reflection of the evolution of gay rights in the city and in American society, and is a measure of changing attitudes in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.”
It’s that reference to the measure of changing attitudes among the hierarchy that got me right in the cranium as I had to ask myself: What? How could this be? Who in the hierarchy honestly thinks that the fundamental teaching of the Church on the practice of homosexual behavior has changed? Or could it be that the news report is wrong and the hierarchy is as strong as always on this fundamental moral teaching?
I always thought that the reason the gays were banned was specifically because they were blatant in their advocacy of a lifestyle the Church does not approve of—and never has and never will. So what’s up?
Well, apparently Cardinal Dolan, the Grand Marshall of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, has taken it upon himself to explain that the Church can be opposed to same-sex marriage and still embrace the individual homosexual person. Well, of course, the Church has always embraced such people, but never their practices, lifestyles, or public advocacy of what is clearly sinful.
And in this particular case, we are not talking about homosexual individuals quietly joining the ranks to march down the street, singing Irish ditties. We are talking about groups of gay rights activists including OUT@NBCUniversal. According to The New York Times, “The first group to march in next year’s parade under a gay banner will be OUT@NBCUniversal—a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employee resource group.” In other words OUT@NBCUniversal represents individuals who have joined together to advocate publicly as an organized force in support of homosexual lifestyles.
Cardinal Dolan, are you listening?
And that is not all. Other homosexual organizations will march under the Irish blessing in 2016 according to a report by Matthew Hennessey:
Other gay groups will be “free to apply” to march in the parade under banners proclaiming their predilections.
The parade committee called its decision “a gesture of goodwill to the LGBT community in our continuing effort to keep the parade above politics.” But the gay groups were not satisfied. The executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda called the announcement “disappointing and self-serving,” since the application and selection processes were not open to the public. Irish Queers has said, “There is no change. This is not progress. This is a farce.” The group continues to call on New York City mayor Bill de Blasio to forbid NYPD and FDNY officers to wear their uniforms while marching in what Irish Queers calls an “explicitly anti-gay parade.”
You see, even when the camel gets his nose under the tent he is not satisfied. Such creatures always want more and more.
Cardinal Dolan, are you listening?
We urge you, Cardinal Dolan, to immediately step down as Grand Marshall of this once genuinely Irish Catholic event, making it clear that the decision of the committee was indeed political and hurtful to those who uphold Catholic teaching and have been the mainstay of this parade for many years.
There is nothing less that the cardinal can do now. Well, yes there is. The cardinal can spend the day, March 17, 2015, sitting on a hill in County Mayo, Ireland. I will look for him there.
ACTION ITEM:
Please sign the petition asking Cardinal Dolan to step down as Grand Marshall.
Please pray for Cardinal Timothy Dolan and for our country.