Archbishop Compares LGBT to KKK, Sparks Petition for Resignation
A petition has been started calling for the resignation of the Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Francis George following his comments likening the LGBT community to the Ku Klux Klan.
Cardinal George, in an interview with Fox News, was discussing the concerns that a local pastor had over the proposed route of the Gay Pride Parade and the potential conflict it would have with parishioners attending mass.
Cardinal George, when asked how he felt about the situation involving the pastor and the potential conflict with Sunday service said: “…they won’t be able to have church services on Sunday, if that’s the case. 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.”
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The dispute arose over the changes planned for the gay pride parade route that is scheduled to take place in June. The time and new route coincided with church services causing some members of the clergy to become apprehensive over the fact that the parade would prevent churchgoers from attending services. Last year the parade drew an estimated 750,000 people.
The comments are considered by some as misplaced considering that Cardinal George supports a gay and lesbian outreach group, Archdiocese Gay and Lesbian Outreach, which holds services at the same church.
“Well, you start with respect. You start with people who are homosexually oriented, gays and lesbians. However they picture themselves, you start with respect,” the cardinal said.
Wayne Besen, executive director for Truth Wins Out, in an interview with The Christian Post explained that organizers of the parade were willing to work with the church to come to an agreement that would satisfy both parties. The comments that the Archbishop made were “very hurtful” and that was the reason for the petition, Besen explained.
Besen went on to express that it is not the intention of the LGBT community to disrupt any person’s right to worship, “We would defend the church for anybody who wants to pray.”
The Archdiocese of Chicago was unavailable for comment but directed The Christian Post to a statement that Cardinal George had written: “When the pastor's request for reconsideration of the plans was ignored, the organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church.”
The statement continues, “It is terribly wrong and sinful that gays and lesbians have been harassed and subjected to psychological and even physical harm. These tragedies can be addressed, however, without disturbing the organized and orderly public worship of God in a country that claims to be free.”
Both sides agreed that the parade would start at noon rather than the originally scheduled start time of 10 a.m., therefore allowing parishioners to attend service that Sunday morning.
Yet, circulating the petition may be a moot point considering all bishops, once they turn 75, are required to write a letter offering their resignation to the Pope. Cardinal George turns 75 in January.
