More on National Congregations Study's Finding That U.S. Churches Are Moving in Gay-Inclusive Direction — Except Catholics: Whys and Wherefores

Yesterday, I briefly discussed the results of the National Congregations Study's survey released on 11 September, a survey that shows all religious bodies in the U.S. moving in a gay-inclusive direction in recent years except the Catholic church. The survey is receiving wide attention. Its results have been summarized by Cathy Lynn Grossman at the Religion News Service site and at the new CRUX site, and by Michael Paulson for New York Times.

Droppings from the Catholic Birdcages: The Gays Get Human Rights, and the Blood of Christian Martyrs Will Run in the Streets

A teacher fired by a Catholic school for marrying his partner files suit to contest the discrimination, and some commentators at the National Catholic Reporter site speak of a "militant homosexual war on the Catholic church" that's now in full flame. Others think less of flames than of guillotines and the blood of martyrs running in the streets:

Father Tom Doyle Responds to Cardinal George: "What Is It They Did Not Know 'Then' That They Know Now?"

Father Thomas Doyle

I received Father Thomas Doyle's outstanding rebuttal to the claims of Chicago Cardinal Francis George about his dioceses's handling of the abuse crisis by email from the National Survivor Advocates Coalition several days ago. I've been waiting to mention this document in a posting here until after I had seen it online at the NSAC website. Meanwhile, I see that Robert McClory has published Tom Doyle's text at National Catholic Reporter.

Frank at Letters to the Catholic Right: Pope Francis Speaks, Catholic Right Responds, "Nothing New," Rinse, Repeat

Yesterday, I took a look at William J. Dohar's recent essay at Religion Dispatches which examines the implication of Pope Francis's question, "Who am I to judge?," for gay priests. I noted that Dohar finds that no U.S. Catholic bishop has been willing to stand with Francis and say unambiguously, "You know, the pope’s right.  Who are we to judge?"

Professor William J. Dohar on Why No U.S. Bishops Stood by Pope Francis When He Asked, "Who Am I to Judge?

William J. Dohar

And it's not only Professor Charles J. Reid who's speaking out about the Catholic church's treatment of gay folks: at Religion Dispatches, another professor, William J. Dohar of Santa Clara University's religious studies department, notes that, in making his remark following World Youth Day about not judging gays, Pope Francis made trouble for bishops. He made trouble for bishops like His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan, who felt compelled to head to the media and inform them that there was nothing in the least new about what the pope said: nothing new here, just move on.

Pope Francis Steps, Cardinal Dolan Back-Steps: Dolan on Francis's Statement about Gays--"What Surprises Me Is That People Are Surprised"

Yesterday, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, leader of the U.S. Catholic bishops, shared his understanding of Pope Francis's comments Monday about not judging gay human beings. In a word, Cardinal Dolan's response to Pope Francis: Meh. 

Faithful America Petition: "Tell Roman Catholic Cardinal: Don't Offer Your Blessing to Ex-Gay Therapy"

On Thursday, I blogged about the decision of Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the past president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to celebrate Mass at the annual convention of the group Courage, though the group's program will be featuring speakers from the "ex-gay" group NARTH. As I noted, Sister Maureen Fiedler is asking Cardinal George to dissociate himself from the bogus and harmful medical claims of NARTH that it can "cure" homosexuality, and she proposes that he cancel his plans to celebrate Mass for Courage as long as NARTH is part of the program.

Cardinal Francis George to Celebrate Mass at Courage Conference Featuring NARTH Speakers

Maureen Fiedler reports at National Catholic Reporter this morning that the past president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George, will be celebrating Mass for the group Courage next week. As she notes, Courage is "a Catholic group that encourages lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to remain celibate in keeping with the teaching of the Catholic hierarchy."

Illinois Catholic Laity Reject Bishops' Lead about Marriage Equality, Robert Mickens on Benedict's Resignation, Rachel Maddow on Hubris and Iraq War

End-of-week news items that I couldn't shoehorn into other postings today, but which strike me as eminently worth paying attention to:

Illinois Bishops Slam the Gays, and Illinois Priest Is Found Handcuffed and Gagged

Can I be the only person in the world thinking about this when I read this and listen to the audio clip attached to the article?

Catholic Leaders Step Up Attacks on Gays: Reports from the Battlefronts

I doubt it will be any secret to readers of this blog, but the leaders of the Catholic church are stepping up their battle against the human rights of LGBT persons in recent weeks. In particular, they're assaulting the right of gay people to civil marriage in a rather spectacular way in the past several weeks.

Catholic Bishops Meet: "800-Pound Gorilla" Gathers with Them, According to David Gibson

At the end of last week, I linked to a powerful statement of journalist Susan Hogan reminding us that, ten years ago this month--a month in which the U.S. Catholic bishops are now staging shock-and-awe "religious freedom" demonstrations around the nation--the bishops were gathered in Dallas to deal with the explosive situation that had developed as Boston court actions blew the lid off the cover-up of childhood clerical abuse in the Catholic church.  Hogan notes that the bishops now want to flex their muscle and appear powerful as they try to topple a sitting Democratic president (the bit about toppling the president is me speaking, not Hogan), but ten years ago the situation was very different.  

Merry Christmas to the Gay Community from Cardinal George: Gays = Klan

Just in time for Christmas, the former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, gives the gay community a special Christlike designation: we're like the Ku Klux Klan, George informs Fox news broadcasters.  The occasion for the remark?  Next year's gay pride parade in Chicago will pass in front of a Catholic church, and George thinks the parade will disrupt the church's Mass.  The parade organizers have now pushed the time of the parade back to accommodate the church.

Reflections on Rick Perry's Response Rally: Attack on the Love Ethic and Corporatist Puppet-Masters

I didn't watch Rick Perry's Response rally this weekend.  I took last week as a kind of retreat-discernment week, and as I did so, I deliberately weaned myself of all but the most essential news coverage.  

Benedict to Christian Leaders in Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: Pro-Life Means Anti-Gay

And in case we don't get the point that I emphasized in my posting yesterday commenting on Archbishop Timothy Dolan's "state of the union" address to Congress--that being pro-life now means, for Catholic leaders, being anti-gay, and that gay and lesbian human beings are, simply by virtue of being gay or lesbian, in some sense a threat to the sanctity of life--John Allen helpfully spells it out for us today in commentary on a warning Pope Benedict just issued to leaders of non-Catholic churches.

Pastoral Leadership of Bishops and the Exodus from the Catholic Church: Is There a Correlation?

In my previous posting about Eugene Kennedy's critique of John Allen's attempt to spin Cardinal Francis George as the U.S. Catholic bishops' "thinker-in-chief," I suggested that what perturbs me about Mr. Allen's (persistent) spin-doctoring when it comes to church officials is this: he does one somersault after another to  try to turn mediocre thinkers and mediocre shepherds of the flock into intellectual and pastoral giants.

John Allen on Cardinal George as U.S. Bishops' Thinker-in-Chief: Eugene Kennedy Responds (Say Whaaa?!)

Yesterday, I noted a lecture that the outgoing president of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference, Cardinal Francis George, gave in December at Boston College.  As I indicated, in his remarks at Boston College, George stated that supporters of same-sex unions have "lost touch" with humanity.  

My Real Rights Trump Your Alleged Rights: Catholic Officials Keep Appealing to Religious Freedom While Urging Discrimination

In several postings as the new year began, I predicted that we'd see much more of what I regard as a subject-changing rhetorical ploy of Catholic officials today: when the subject needs to be, as Nicole Sotelo argues, an honest and effective engagement of the longstanding cover-up of cases of clerical abuse by members of the Catholic hierarchy, the issue that the top Catholic leaders want to press today is the issue of religious freedom, instead.  With the attendant claim that the Catholic church is under attack by those who do not want to respect its right to religious liberty, and who do not recognize that religious freedom is the fundamental right on which all other human rights depend.

Illinois Senate Passes Civil Unions, Despite Cardinal George's Opposition

An update to the story about which I posted two days ago: the outspoken opposition of the Illinois Catholic Conference to a bill for same-sex civil unions in that state.  As I noted in a subsequent posting, the bill passed the Illinois House and was then presented to the Senate.

Yesterday, the Illinois Senate voted in favor of the bill.  It will now go to Gov. Quinn, who is expected to sign it.  

Robert McClory on the Anti-Gospel of Catholic Leaders, and Exodus from Catholic Church

In Chicago Catholic News, Robert McClory, professor emeritus of Northwestern School of Journalism, writes in response to Cardinal Francis George's assertion that one in three American adults raised Catholic has left the church due to secularization.  For McClory, that's a far too simplistic answer to the mass exodus.  It's also one that lets George himself and his brother bishops off the hook.