Don’t make those insulting and
incendiary statements in the first place. What is said is out there and what is
written is now public record…just refrain from saying or writing crap like
this.
This has become the norm…some politician or clergyman
makes some asinine, hurtful, racist or homophobic statement and they let it go
for two or three days with the hopes that it takes root and it is disseminated
throughout the general population.
This serves a double purpose: to pander to their rabid
ultra right wing base and to have some injurious crap out there long enough for
somebody to embrace it. That is the norm…then they issue the apologies…and
sometimes the apology is even worse than the mud they slung.
Such is the case with this ass-hat who is very high in
the Catholic hierarchy- Cardinal
Francis George
"During a recent TV interview,
speaking about this year's Gay Pride Parade, I used an analogy that is
inflammatory. I am personally distressed that what I said has been taken to
mean that I believe all gays and lesbians are like members of the Klan. I do
not believe that; it is obviously not true. Many people have friends and family
members who are gay or lesbian, as have I. We love them; they are part of our
lives, part of who we are.
"I am deeply sorry for the hurt that my remarks have brought to the hearts of gays and lesbians and their families. I can only say that my remarks were motivated by fear for the Church's liberty. This is a larger topic that cannot be explored in this expression of personal sorrow and sympathy for those who were wounded by what I said." - Cardinal Francis George, in an apology posted on the website of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
George's initial statement caused a firestorm of bad press,
with both newspaper editorial boards and national LGBT groups joining to
denounce his words. Truth Wins Out last week ran a full-page Chicago Tribune
ad demanding George's resignation. Reactions to the apology are below.
Equality Illinois
"I am deeply sorry for the hurt that my remarks have brought to the hearts of gays and lesbians and their families. I can only say that my remarks were motivated by fear for the Church's liberty. This is a larger topic that cannot be explored in this expression of personal sorrow and sympathy for those who were wounded by what I said." - Cardinal Francis George, in an apology posted on the website of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
George's initial statement caused a firestorm of bad press,
with both newspaper editorial boards and national LGBT groups joining to
denounce his words. Truth Wins Out last week ran a full-page Chicago Tribune
ad demanding George's resignation. Reactions to the apology are below. Equality Illinois
It appears that the Cardinal has had
a chance to reflect on the deeply hurtful and destructive statement he had made
on Christmas day in comparing the movement for LGBT equality to the Ku Klax
Klan. His apology is important and will go some way toward healing the pain he
has caused. However, his actions will speak louder than words, and we will be
paying attention to see if his words translate into acts of dignity and respect
towards LGBT people," said Bernard Cherkasov, Chief Executive Officer of
Equality Illinois, the state's oldest and largest organization advocating for
full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
Truth Wins Out
"We called for Cardinal
George's resignation but we think remorse is a positive step in the right
direction," said TWO's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "It is
gratifying to see the Cardinal take personal responsibility for the hurt he has
caused and we hope this incident leads to improving relations with the LGBT
community."
Gay Liberation Network
This is completely disingenuous. No
one was challenging the church's "liberty." Even though George
himself has done everything he can to prevent legal equality for LGBTs, we have
never in turn insisted that the church be forced to perform same-sex marriages,
for example, any more than others have insisted that it be forced to perform
marriages for divorcees. Furthermore, apologies, in order to be real, need to
be issued directly to those wronged. A web posting is about as passive a
delivery of an apology as you can get. Cardinal George could have picked up the
phone and called an LGBT journalist and had a genuine dialog about the issues.
Moreover, his original slam against "the Gay Liberation Movement"
sounded like it was directed at the Gay Liberation Network, which has led
demonstrations against his support of discrimination on several occasions, and
he could have delivered an apology to GLN.
NOTE: Gay Liberation Network says that despite Cardinal George's
apology, they will go through with tomorrow's planned noon protest outside
Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral.
Ironically, the Cardinal should be a
little bit more humble and stay out of the public arena in view of all the repugnant
cases of altar boy molestations in the hands of priests and perhaps even
himself.
SOURCE: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/
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