The country’s cardinal refers to Obama’s pick to lead the U.S. embassy in the Dominican Republic a “maricón,” which is usually translated as “faggot,” while others urged the country’s president to reject the appointment. Brewster is one of five out gay nominees for ambassadorships named in June.
By J. Lester Feder
When President Barack Obama nominated a gay man as the new ambassador to the Dominican Republic on June 21, he touched off a firestorm of debate in the Caribbean nation — which has devolved even to derogatory name-calling.
Catholic Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez referred to Brewster as a “maricón” — which is usually translated as “faggot” — during a press conference. At his side, Monseñor Pablo Cedano promised the nominee such an unpleasant stay in the country that he will have to return home.
“I hope he does not arrive in the country because I know if he comes he is going to suffer and will have to leave,” Cedano said. He called it “a lack of respect” that Obama “sent … a person of this kind as an ambassador,” adding, “[W]e don’t despise the person.”
The dust-up over the nomination shows the direct impact that full equality for gays and lesbians in the United States can have abroad. The nominee, James “Wally” Brewster, was a major Obama fundraiser and a national LGBT co-chair for the Democratic National Committee. His nomination, which still must be confirmed by the Senate, is the latest in a flurry of appointments of gay Americans for ambassadorships by the Obama administration. Five others were named just in the last month. Only three openly gay ambassadors have served before them.
While these nominations have raised few eyebrows in the other countries where they will be working — like Spain, Denmark, or Australia — Brewster’s appointment has caused a great deal of concern in the Dominican Republic. Conservative religious leaders and other opponents of LGBT rights have called on Dominican President Danilo Medina to refuse to accept him if he is confirmed.
LGBT activists said the Catholic leaders’ remarks incited violence.
Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has been in the news lately not only for his vocal opposition to Illinois’ marriage equality bill, but because he recently denied communion to a gay Catholic activist at a Mass celebrating the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach in his city.
What, me worry?
Robert McClory, a columnist for The National Catholic Reporter, took apart an essay about marriage equality written by George in the Chicago archdiocesan newspaper. McClory exposes some of George’s fear-mongering rhetoric, not only on marriage equality, but also on the issue of religious liberty, which seems to be one of George’s main purposes in writing the column.
For example, McClory is justifiably incredulous at George’s depiction of how secular society is “marginalizing” Catholics. McClory writes:
“George then launches out into the deep about the separation of religious faith from public life. He blames John F. Kennedy for starting a roll down the slippery slope and worries Catholics will be eventually barred from federal judgeships, medical schools, editorial offices at major newspapers, the entertainment world and university faculties.
” ‘If Catholics are to be closeted and marginalized in a secularized society, Catholic parents should prepare their children to be farmers, carpenters and craftsmen, small business people and workers in service industries,’ occupations that ‘do not immediately impact public opinion.’ What?”
McClory hits the nail on the head in his concluding paragraph which points out George’s true blindspot:
“Unfortunately, what Cardinal George cannot consider is the possibility that Catholics at the grass-roots level are coming to understand new and different ways to welcome to the table those previously excluded. Many, including not a few theologians, propose that the essence of marriage is the love and permanent commitment of two persons to one another — period. As that conviction matures in time, I believe the church will have to make accommodations with its implications, just as Christians in the time of Galileo had to reinterpret so much they and their ancestors had taken for granted as irreversibly, dogmatically true: the movement of the earth, the sun, moon and stars. It was for many a painful, revolutionary process. And the one believing Christians face now will be for some no less painful and revolutionary. But it must be done, lest the Catholic church disintegrate into a closed, inconsequential cult.”
McClory doesn’t comment on what I consider George’s greatest errors in his essay. Speaking of marriage equality advocates, George states:
“Further, the claim that one is not equal under law is powerful in our society; it makes one a victim. And the claim that one is being demeaned and personally wounded is even more powerful evidence of victimization. “
Yet, isn’t that what so many Catholic bishops are doing when they claim that their religious liberty is being curtailed because of pro-LGBT laws? Aren’t they claiming “victim” status? Isn’t George guilty of exactly the thing he accuses his opponents of doing?
The cardinal presided at the 25th anniversary Mass for Chicago’s Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (AGLO), and he was greeted by about 25 protesters from the Gay Liberation Network and the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM). The latter group is composed of Catholics who present themselves for communion while wearing a rainbow sash, indicating that they believe in the full equality of LGBT people and that they disagree with the hierarchy’s prohibition of sexual activity between person’s of the same gender. When the RSM’s director, Joe Murray, went to the cardinal for communion, he was refused.
Joe Murray The Windy City Times reported:
“Murray stood up with his back to Cardinal George during parts of the Mass, and then he went up with the estimated 200 others in attendance to receive communion. George refused him, and Murray walked away with his hands open and empty, showing the congregants that he had been denied.
“But in an emotional show of solidarity, Brenna C. Cronin, who had already received her communion as part of the church choir, went back up and took another communion wafer (called a Host) and brought it to Murray herself.
” ‘One of my brothers, a member of my community, who is a full and equal member of the body of Christ, was denied communion. So I got back in line and I brought him communion, as I would for anyone else,’ Cronin told Windy City Times after the Mass. Cronin, who is a lesbian, has been involved with AGLO for two years and is also a cantor.
” ‘I was denied communion by the Cardinal,’ Murray said after. ‘I turned to Christ, I walked back open handed, and showed the community that I was denied communion, and Christ, in his mercy, sent me a priest [Cronin] to give me communion.’ “
The news story indicates that some in the congregation supported Murray’s action, while others were critical of it. You can read the entire news account HERE. It contains additional comments from both George and Murray.
The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has apologized for its lack of sympathy 40 years ago over the Upstairs Lounge bar fire that killed 32, while the city’s mayor has marked the anniversary with an official certificate
BY ANDREW POTTS
New Orleans Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond has apologized for his church’s silence 40 years ago when 32 people were burnt to death in the Upstairs Lounge bar fire.
On 24 June, 1973, staff at the Upstairs Lounge bar answered the door only to find it engulfed with flames.
Staff managed to evacuate 30 people from the building while the fire spread but 29 people died in the 16 minute blaze and three died later from their injuries. A further 15 people were injured in the blaze.
It is believed that Rodger Dale Nunez, who was suffering from a brain tumor, lit the fire. He was questioned by police but escaped after he was hospitalized for convulsions and was never recaptured before he killed himself a year later.
Church and city officials ignored the tragedy which is the worst mass killing of LGBT people in US history.
However on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the fire, Archbishop Aymond released a statement to TIME magazine apologizing for the church’s silence at the time.
‘In retrospect, if we did not release a statement we should have to be in solidarity with the victims and their families,’ Aymond told TIME magazine.
‘The church does not condone violence and hatred. If we did not extend our care and condolences, I deeply apologize.’
Three of the dead were never identified and many relatives of the victims refused to claim their ashes out of homophobic shame.
New Orleans mayor in 1973, Moon Landrieu, ignored the tragedy, but his son, the present mayor of New Orleans, issued an official certificate commemorating the anniversary this year.
Events planned to mark the anniversary include a lecture on the tragedy at the Historic New Orleans Collection and a traditional New Orleans style jazz funeral march from the Collection to the site of the fire.
A musical about the fire is also being staged.
Time published a feature on the fire this week and a documentary about the fire, Upstairs Inferno, is currently in pre-production.
The Moldovan Orthodox Church Synod has threatened politicians who back the law on equal rights for homosexuals with excommunication.
Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and All Moldova told reporters on Friday that “the first step may be to keep such politicians from taking communion.”
Hello darlings! Love my outfit?
The metropolitan said the June 20 meeting of the Synod had lasted for ten hours and addressed the situation with the enforcement of the law on equal rights for gays and the preparations for the visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, who plans to visit Moldova in September.
“The Synod stated its position on the law on equal rights in the adopted declaration,” the metropolitan said, adding that the Synod already asked the authorities to make amendments to the law and to prevent propaganda of homosexuality in society on May 19.
“Unfortunately, our request was not heard and no measures were taken. We want to use another opportunity to draw people’s attention to what is happening and we are addressing them again as the Orthodox Church the second time. When we address them the third time, specific decisions will be made,” Metropolitan Vladimir said. to
The declaration posted on the website of the Moldovan Metropolia on Friday says that “the authorities have not heeded an establishment which, according to public opinion polls, enjoys the highest level of confidence in society.”
“Being ignored like this makes us draw conclusions that the Moldovan Orthodox Church and Christians, who account for 93.4% of the population, were removed from the authorities’ plans in the past few years, whereas non-traditional minorities are getting more and more support from the authorities,” the document says.
The adoption of the law on the prevention of discrimination was a condition set by the European Union for the fulfillment of the plan of actions to liberalize the visa regime between Moldova and the EU. Its adoption was postponed for a long time and the name of the law was changed gradually. In May 2012, the document was adopted as the law On Equality. The guarantees of sexual minorities’ rights are mentioned in the chapter of the law banning discrimination in the workplace.
The Moldovan Orthodox Church and the Communist Party are contesting the law.
Catholic Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez referred to Brewster as a “maricón” — which is usually translated as “faggot” — during a press conference. At his side, Monseñor Pablo Cedano promised the nominee such an unpleasant stay in the country that he will have to return home.
