Catholic Right Goes All In on Gay-Bashing Analysis of McCarrick Story — As Stories Break of Nuns Abused by Priests and Priests Fathering Children

As Sarasi points out in a comment here this morning, the homophobic Catholic right is having a field day now trying to exploit the Cardinal McCarrick story to attack what it sees as the sexually louche culture of the 1960s, which gave women access to increasing control of their reproductive lives and opened the door for gay folks to come out of the closet. The Catholic right wants women back in their kitchens baking Betty Crocker confections for their hard-working men, and gay folks shut fast back in their dark closets.

The Catholic right wants men (white ones) on top again. Straight ones. And no amount of factual information about the abuse crisis in the Catholic church — how it orginates in and is deeply rooted in a clerical system that places all Catholic governing power in the hands of the ordained and gives none to layfolks — will change the "minds" of the Catholic right. Nothing ever derails the homophobic analysis, because it's part and parcel of the need to pretend that there was a golden age in Christianity and the culture at large when straight white men ruled the roost, women were in the kitchen baking for their men, and gay folks were shut securely in the closet.

Some of my own musing about this today on Twitter:

1) The hateful homophobic Catholic right is going all in right now on gay-bashing analysis of the McCarrick story.

At the very same time, nuns are coming forth to tell their stories of being sexually abused by priests.

— 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝙳. 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚎𝚢 (@wdlindsy) July 30, 2018

2) And new attention is being drawn to the worldwide phenomenon of Catholic priests fathering children who are seldom acknowledged, as their mothers are seldom supported.

This problematizes narratives of homosexual bullies infesting the priesthood and causing all the problems.

— 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝙳. 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚎𝚢 (@wdlindsy) July 30, 2018

3) The "homosexual bullies" analysis was offered to me by a troll at Religion News Service recently, who argued that it's insignificant that Marcial Maciel fathered 6 children by 3 women: he was a homosexual bully, and that's what's wrong with the priesthood.

— 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝙳. 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚎𝚢 (@wdlindsy) July 30, 2018

4) Any analysis of what's REALLY wrong — the clericalist abuse of power and abuse of non-clerics — is reduced, in the neat, entirely doltish analysis of the Catholic right to a single reality: sexual orientation. These folks are willing even to stand facts on their heads to

— 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝙳. 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚎𝚢 (@wdlindsy) July 30, 2018

5) push this monomaniacal homophobic analysis of a problem that is not about sexual orientation at all: a man fathering 6 children by 3 women is, ipso facto, a homosexual bully.

Because we say so. The problem is homosexuality.

— 𝚆𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚖 𝙳. 𝙻𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚎𝚢 (@wdlindsy) July 30, 2018

Because we say so. We say the problem is homosexuality, and what we say is the final word — contrary fact be damned. 

On the #MeToo moment with nuns reporting sexual abuse by priests, see Nicole Winfield and Rodney Muhumuza two days ago in "'It opened a great wound inside of me': Nuns report abuse by priests."

Here's a smattering of commentary (much more is available, if you look for it) on the growing discussion of priests fathering children around the world: 

Crux Staff, "Irish bishops tell priests who father children to 'face up' to responsibilities."

Patricia Lefevere, "Children of priests: 'an invisible legion of secrecy and neglect.'" 

Sarah McDermott, "My father, the Catholic priest who doesn't want to know me." 

Michael Otto, "NZ bishops reflect on children of priests issue" 

For further information and resources, see Coping International, an organization set up to help children of Catholic priests connect to each other, tell their stories, and found support.