GAY LOBBY SHOWING FACE
Johny Alencherry
Daily News
In Synod-Related Effort, Homosexual-Rights Activists Target Eight U.S. Bishops (8172)
A coalition of well-funded groups is lobbying against prominent bishops in hopes of changing Church doctrine and practice.
Synod-related Human Rights Campaign poster
– Facebook/Human Rights Campaign
ROME — The start of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family has triggered a wave of activism from well-funded LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) activist groups in the U.S., who are targeting “outspoken” Catholic bishops in hopes of changing Catholic practice and moral doctrine.
“Most important is the opportunity to create a precedent for change,” the Human Rights Campaign said in its pamphlet on the synod.
The LGBT group has announced an activist effort targeting eight bishops in a pamphlet that labels them as “the best of the worst Catholic bishops across the country.”
Its campaign will target Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., the president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore and Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill.
The effort aims to target bishops the activist group claims have been “most outspoken in their rejection of LGBT Catholics, their civil rights and their rightful place in the Church.” The effort will include Rosary events and literature distributions in the bishops’ home cities.
Among the Human Rights Campaign’s corporate partners are large corporations like American Airlines, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Bank of America, Northrop Grumman, Chevron, Lexus, Goldman Sachs, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.
The campaign has also lobbied businesses to push for “LGBT equality” in legislation, to recruit self-identified LGBT employees and to give financial support through LGBT-targeted marketing or advertising and philanthropic support for LGBT organizations.
The Human Rights Campaign’s synod material claims that, after the 2014 and 2015 synods, Pope Francis will release “new doctrine.” It also claims that the Vatican intended to survey lay Catholics on family issues, but the U.S. bishops failed to distribute this survey. The campaign contended that this excluded “the voice of the people.”
Such arguments have been countered, however, by the Vatican. In November 2013, Holy See Press Office spokesman Father Federico Lombardi rejected claims that Pope Francis was surveying Catholics. He said that the reports had misunderstood a preparatory document sent to bishops’ conferences around the world by Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary general for the Synod of Bishops.
The Human Rights Campaign’s material also cites Pope Francis’ August 2013 interview aboard the papal plane returning from Rio de Janeiro to Rome, in which he stressed the need not to judge someone who is homosexual and “searches for the Lord and has goodwill.”
The Pope’s comments came in the context of a question about a “gay lobby” at the Vatican and included a papal warning about the problem of “a lobby of this tendency.”
Furthermore, the Human Rights Campaign said its synod-related advocacy is an opportunity to “take steps towards greater inclusion,” citing the potential to secure baptism for “children of LGBT Catholic families.”
However, the working document for the synod itself already addresses the issue of baptism of children being raised by same-sex couples. It said bishops’ responses “emphasize that the child must be received with the same care, tenderness and concern which is given to other children,” while also noting the need for careful oversight of baptismal preparation and the need to ensure that the child can be capably instructed in the Christian faith.
Other Groups
Other groups backed by LGBT activists have also weighed in on the synod.
On Oct. 6, Catholics United’s new Pennsylvania affiliate Keystone Catholics launched a petition addressed to Pope Francis regarding the World Meeting of Families 2015, which will be held in Philadelphia.
The petition asks Pope Francis to include an agenda item “aimed at improving the Catholic Church’s pastoral ministry for families which include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.” It claimed they “suffer from the suggestion that their sexual orientation or gender identity is ‘intrinsically disordered.’”
Catholics United's executive director, James Salt, was far harsher towards Catholic teaching in an August 2014 statement. He claimed that the Catholic Church “perpetuates mental illness by referring to gay and transgender people as ‘intrinsically disordered,’” an apparent reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church’s description of homosexual acts, not persons.
Salt claimed that the suicide of a self-identified transgender Catholic teen in Pennsylvania underscored a lack of support services for LGBT Catholics. He claimed that Catholic teaching “contributes to lower self-esteem” and “certainly” contributes to a higher suicide rate among “LGBT individuals.”
Signatories to the Oct. 6 petition included U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., and Michael Doyle, D-Pa.; several Catholic campus ministers, university professors and women religious; and leaders of local affiliates of dissenting Catholic groups like Call to Action, Dignity USA and New Ways Ministry.
Catholics United itself has received at least $100,000 from the Colorado-based Gill Foundation, which has funded LGBT advocacy favored by its founder, the politically sophisticated multimillionaire Tim Gill.
In addition, the Arcus Foundation, founded by Jon Stryker, a billionaire heir to the Stryker Corp., has given a $200,000 grant “to support pro-LGBT faith advocates to influence and counter the narrative of the Catholic Church and its ultra-conservative affiliates.” The support aims to “build advocacy and visibility” in connection with the synod on the family and World Youth Day.
The grant supports the Equally Blessed Coalition through the dissenting Catholic group Dignity USA. The coalition includes other self-identified groups that undermine Catholic teaching, including Call to Action, New Ways Ministry and Fortunate Families.
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Well at least we can rightly say there is a gay lobby, a fact that used to be used to deride traditionally minded people as whackos.
Of course the multinationals support the gay agenda, more soulless subjects to pump full of their commercial propaganda.
Now that pope Francis has openly come out of the closet and supports gay marriage will gay weddings be occurring soon in the church?
The Church needs to make its position clear on this issue.
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They should spend their money more wisely, after all the Pope is doing this for free.
And people still think the culture of death isnt rooted in economics when efforts auch as this one are constantly being bankrolled by the likes of Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and other predator multinationals.
The fruits of our wonderful “free market” economy in action. (aka the unrestrained pursuit of mortally sinful profit) Ignore the distractions and follow the money.
Que bono?
I was too young to remember it first-hand, but the present day matter of the Church’s deliberations regarding what to do for those who experience same-sex attractions seems much like the matter of its dealing with artificial contraception nearly half a century ago. In those days even many within the Church - supported in grand fashion by the popular culture - were promoting and expecting the Church’s acceptance of it. Yet in the end, she came out against it with a document that proved profoundly prophetic. Why do I get the feeling the same thing is happening all over again? One thing is for sure - there is no reason for those of us with the will to do it to quit proclaiming the truth now.
The majority of same-sex-attracted people are also attracted to the opposite sex, a good number of whom have chosen to eschew their homosexual attractions and marry someone of the opposite sex, committing to a relationship that uniquely involves sex as a mutual gift given by each spouse to the other as well as the possibility of new life. If the Church were to grant legitimacy to homosexual relationships (not that I believe it will), what would it say to those who experience same-sex attractions but who’ve chosen the more difficult but fruitful path of life with someone of the opposite sex?
the Church is not a state organization, nor is it in anyway a political organization. Church doctrine and interpretation of the bible is not up for popular vote. Any lobby should have no effect on the Church’s view at all. It should not be looking to win a popularity contest. LGBT is out of control and is getting way too much press and attention. We are talking a very small segment of population here with the loudest voice on the block.
Thereby providing good, honest Catholics with a list of bishops who are legitimate. Thanks, LGBT groups! Not that I needed to know that Chaput is awesome.
Faithful bishops, you have our support.
The Human Rights Campaign is and has been an organization whose goals and activities have been public and conducted in public for at least two decades. Its hardly been some kind of secret organization. And there a number of other national gay rights advocacy organizations that have worked publicly since the early 1980s. If the right-wing claims it has not known about these organizations the right-wing must have been living on Mars or in alternate reality. In fact, the work of the Human Rights Campaign is so well known that the writer of the article felt no need to explain what the Human Rights Campaign is.
What these organization rightfully fight for are the human/civil rights of gay people. What they rightfully oppose is unjust, unscientific, hateful speech and actions against gay people.
The RCC is of course free to teach what it wants to teach. And those of us interested in justice, fairness, equality, dignity are equally free to speak out as we wish & to oppose what the RCC teaches re gay people.
What the conspiracy nuts go on about is some kind of secret “gay mafia” within the Vatican.
LOL. The Church is not democracy. We did nit choose Christ. He chose us. Christ is not a president. He is a King. And on the Chair sits Peter, not Francis. In 2000 years the Church has never called a lie truth or truth a lie. Even in 68. The Church and Christ are the same. The Bride of Christ is One Body with the Groom, and as such this One Body cannot contradict Himself. I know it is all unnerving. I do not ask you to trust me. In Jesus tust! Ask Holy Spirit to order you to do His Will, and the have faith. Peace will follow.
If this Synod produces any final document with _any_ reference to anything “gay” whatsoever, then rest assured that it will have done more harm than good to parents striving to raise their children properly amidst the sodomitic frenzy that is today’s culture. But at least we now know of several bishops who are _not_ members of the Lavender Mafia, thanks to the “Human Rights Campaign.” God bless them all for their courage—especially those in Illinois, where a Bergoglio statement can (alas) be said to be the foundation of same-sex “marriage”.
I used to be very favorable towards our gay citizens, in a sort of live and let live way. But now they have begun attacking our civilization trying to rip it apart via its most critical institutions. They attack marriage and make it an effective nullity. They attack the church now, openly and without shame. They think they can bully every citizen into publicly supporting their stances. They believe that bullying their fellow citizens is the proper thing to do. Now, they attack a man dying of cancer (george), and they try to destroy anyone who gets in their way. Nienstedt has never done anything to them except proclaim church teaching.
They have become a threat to the American Way of life. They have become totalitarian. They are not a poor minority, they are a rich, well funded political movement of 2 percent of the population. I can no longer look favorably on them. My mind has changed.
Oct. 16th…Write down the names of these Bishops and pray strongly for them. My question is - why aren’t the names of more Bishops on this list? The radical gay activists have for many, many years had a strategy to infiltrate key areas of our society, our culture; although they are in the minority, a very tiny percentage not only of the general population but of the entire homosexual population, they intimidate and bully others into submission declaring that anyone who disagrees with their lifestyle - not their sexual orientation/inclination - are bigots. It’s time to step up to the plate and stand for truth and honor - good people do not threaten LGBT persons…all people should be welcome and treated charitably…but not all actions should be accepted…there is a difference. Do not be intimidated!!! But do not be uncharitable either.
@lisakaiser: “Unscientific”? Well, if you call homosexual interactions in any other species “mating”, the biologists laugh, pat you on the head, and ask if you’re looking for the English department. I mean, how do you even apply Bateman’s principle or sexual selection or “the sexy son hypothesis” to intrinsically non-reproductive sex acts? Declaring an activity that is, by definition, an evolutionary sideline, to be the same thing as actual mating, is the definition of “unscientific”; it makes Lysenko look respectable.
So they target them, Jesus Christ was a target of the non-believers. I am sure they feel that they are in good company!
For any American Catholic worth his “salt” we now know who our eight favorite and most beloved bishops are.
This effort on the part of the hate group known as LGBT could be the blessing we need for the Church of Christ to have a rebirth of true commitment to the Rock of Peter and the traditional values Satan feels are the foundations he must destroy to capture God’s children who still cling to the truth.
Be assured of our prayers Bishops that the Immaculate Heart of Mary will protect and defend you.
The Church has been living in Fantasyland for much too long. The militant LGBT crowd is now doing to the Church exactly what they’ve done to local school districts and city councils across the country. They will stop at nothing in their relentless and militant pursuit of the gay agenda.
.
The gospel of Jesus is clear there is no requirement people of faith need to be doormats for people who are not interested in biblical Christianity and intend to do the Church harm. Jesus was meek, but He wasn’t weak. And He often called out people who deserved admonishing. It would be morally productive to see our Bishops getting a spine and stop caving to all this unrighteousness. In the end, it is they who will be held accountable for what they did.
I too, was happy there is finally a list of courageous bishops! This is terrific! We can pray for them, and for weaker bishops that know God’s word will also speak out so pastors will teach truth to us pew people on Sunday at Mass.
About the survey—I filled out a survey for our diocese months ago. It was supposed to be for this synod, but it did not come from Pope Francis. It came from each diocese, if they chose to participate. There was a long form and a very short form (that was too short, almost inadequate).
We need information about how the survey information was used, and what it revealed. But regardless of the survey, God’s word does not change. Romans Chapter 1 remains Romans Chapter 1, whether or not we pew people like it, or if we disagree with it.
If we disagree with revealed doctrine and teachings on morals, God sits in the Heavens and laughs (at those that dissent). Bad will never be called good, in God’s economy.
The question that must be asked is why the gay lobby exists in the first place . No “social change” just naturally happens. The gay agenda is a creation of the world elite used to distract people and foward a international population reduction plan. This is what is behind the decline of the family, abortion, euthanasia ect (and also eternal war) It is a product of social engendering at very high levels and with regards to the “gay” issue, another way to divide and conquer.
I highly doubt that people are actually born gay. Homosexuality is almost always a product of a failure to bond with the father. Sometimes it is because of failure to bond with the other sex or sexual deviancy. Either way it is a product of nurture that often happens at a very young age and is very hard to get rid of. This is why the gays feel that they are born that way, made worse by 24/7 homosexualist propaganda in our controlled schools and media. “Homosexuals” are victims who need love and support. Sadly, its hard to tell the truth without sounding like a bigot due to indoctrination and the seemingly impossibile challenge of overcomming their urges. The money power has already destroyed the role of the father in western society, and with constant indoctrination of our children, things will continue to get much worse, as planned.
The whole thing is a mess. The engineers of the gay agenda are laughing at well meaning naive social conservatives who take the bait and attack the “gay lobby” they created while ignoring the man behind the curtian. They go on further planning their satanic agenda unscathed as society is distracted fighting over the inconsequential “rights” of less then 1% of the population, with a plethora of other red herring traps
Hopefully, the Chruch will not cave and redefine marriage. The state has no authority to redefine marriage as marriage is a divine union between man and woman. It’s sad they promote such culture destroying nonsence, but it is a small issue in the scheme of things.
The church is very clear on this issue. Our Holy Pope has been misquoted numerous times by the secular media. He has NEVER said the gay lifestyle is O.K., what he has said, in effect, is that we must always love the sinner and pray for them, but not condone the sin. People, wake up and stop believing every word secular media prints or speaks, they are anti Christian and go out of their way to twist and turn what our Pope says.
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