* Wednesday, 9:21 pm - Cardinal Francis George went way overboard when talking to Mike Flannery and Dane Placko at Fox 32 Wednesday. During taping for the Fox Chicago Sunday program, George said he backed a North Side pastor who objects to the new route of next year’s Gay Pride Parade. The route would go right past the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church on a Sunday morning, starting at 10 o’clock, which the local pastor says would make it difficult if not impossible to attend mass. The parade drew something like 750,000 spectators this year.
Anyway, on to the interview, the transcript of which was provided by Fox Chicago…
Mike Flannery, Fox Chicago News Political Editor: The Gay Pride Parade is going to go right by there, at least it is scheduled to. What’s your view? The pastor there is upset by that.
Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago: Well, I go with the pastor. I mean, he’s telling us that they won’t be able to have Church services on Sunday, if that’s the case.
You know, you don’t want the Gay Liberation Movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism. So, I think if that’s what’s happening, and I don’t know that it is, but I would respect the local pastor’s, you know, position on that. Then I think that’s a matter of concern for all of us.
Dane S. Placko, Fox Chicago News: That’s a little strong analogy, isn’t it? Ku Klux Klan?
Cardinal George: It is. But you take a look at the rhetoric.
Placko: What rhetoric?
Cardinal George: The rhetoric of the Ku Klux Klan, the rhetoric of some in the Gay Liberation. Who is the enemy? Who is the enemy? The Catholic Church.
Openly gay State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), whose district includes the Gay Pride parade route, criticized the Cardinal’s “unfortunate choice of words.” Harris predicted “it probably will provoke other unfortunate words” from some gay activists.
In a press release, LGBT Catholic organization Rainbow Sash Movement sounded off against the cardinal’s comments.
“Cardinal George wants to promote a doubled standard when it comes to the Gay Pride Parade,” the statement read. “One only has the look at the Chicago Marathon, and negative impact that race has on parishes such as Assumption Parish, St. Joseph’s Parish, Immaculate Conception Parish and St. Michael’s Parish just to name a few.”
Anthony Martinez, executive director of The Civil Rights Agenda, said he understands that the parade takes place on Sunday, a holy day for Catholic churches, but that there are several churches along the parade route and they aren’t objecting to it. Some are even planning to participate in the parade, he added.
“It seems to me that the cardinal is lashing out at the LBGT community over past matters and legislation that have now been resolved,” Martinez said, referring to the civil unions bill and the Church’s loss of state foster home and adoption contracts.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel hosts the Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach, and [Father Thomas Srenn of Mount Carmel] said that reservations about the event had nothing to do with the content of the parade.
Before Cardinal George made his KKK remarks, he told Fox Chicago that he supports the Catholic Gay & Lesbian organization based at Mt Carmel and has led the group’s liturgy.
*** UPDATE 1 - 10:15 pm *** Wow. Talk about your irony. This just in…
Organizers with Chicago’s annual gay pride parade have agreed to a later start time after one of Chicago’s oldest Roman Catholic churches objected to a newly-proposed route they claimed would block access to Sunday Masses.
I seriously doubt the KKK would be so accommodating.
*** UPDATE 3 - Thursday, 1:30 pm *** So far, none of the three Chicago-area newspapers has picked up this story. The Associated Press has moved two stories about Cardinal George since last night, but neither mentioned the KKK comment.
*** UPDATE 4 ***. I’m out of the office and posting via iPhone, but the Tribune finally posted a story.
“Whether it was the best choice of analogy I don’t know. Taken out of context the meaning can be misinterpreted,” an archdiocesan spokeswoman said. “I would suggest people read the whole interview.”
