Quote Of The Day - Bishop William Lori

"When in a state they’re proposing a same-sex marriage law, they always say to religious people ‘you don’t have to solemnize these marriages so we’re protecting your freedom,’ but they want to force us out of foster care and adoption, they want to force us to provide benefits for same-sex couples. The other thing we should not miss is that when we send our kids off to public schools and a lot of places its being drilled into them that the sexual mores taught by the churches are bad, repressive, that same-sex marriage is OK, that homosexuality is all right.

"Of course if you look at a Western Civ. course the role of Christianity is always portrayed in a negative light, as an impediment to progress. As I say, there is an established religion, it’s really an un-religion, an aggressive secularity, that’s a system of belief and that’s becoming the established ‘religion’ in our country today." - Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who yesterday testified before Congress about the president's alleged trampling of religious liberties.

Catholic Vote Endorses Frothy Mix

Catholic Vote, the website whose blog is written by NOM Cultural Director (and blogger) Thomas Peters, has endorsed Rick Santorum. Peters, who tweets under the handle American Papist, is the son of the Vatican's top American authority on Catholic legal dogma. While NOM co-founders Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown are both Catholic, that Vatican front group has yet to make an official endorsement. Last year Brown was exposed for secretly attending a high-ticket fundraiser for Catholicism convert Newt Gingrich.

COLOMBIA: Authorities Claim Gay Priests Hired Own Killers In Bizarre Suicide Pact

The bereaved and devoted parishioners of Father Richard Piffano, 37, and Father Rafael Reatiga, 35, say the men were killed by street robbers in all too common Colombian scenario. The police have another theory.

Two Colombian priests who were found shot dead in the capital Bogota a year ago themselves hired the assassins who killed them, prosecutors say. They said the priests had agreed a suicide pact after one of them was diagnosed with AIDS, but contracted hitmen because they could not bring themselves to carry it out. Prosecutors allege they paid the suspected hitmen around $8,500 (£5,440) to kill them and make it look like a robbery attempt. The two priests had been friends since their training and often celebrated Mass and other religious services together, Colombia's El Tiempo newspaper reported. In his final church service, Father Reatiga asked parishioners to pray to Santa Marta, the patron saint of lost causes, the paper reported, while Father Piffano asked his to "pray for me".

Relatives of the priests deny they were gay.

NORTH CAROLINA: Catholic Church Fires Music Director Over His Gay Marriage

A Catholic Church near Charlotte, North Carolina has fired Steav Bates-Congdon, their longtime music director, for marrying his partner of 23 years in an upstate New York ceremony.

On Jan. 19, just back from a honeymoon trip to Mexico, followed by an emergency stay at Carolinas Medical Center for a ruptured appendix, he checked out of the hospital and dropped by St. Gabriel. There, he was handed a note by the Rev. Frank O'Rourke, the pastor with whom he had closely worked for more than four years. It read: "Employees of St. Gabriel ... are expected to live within the moral tradition of the Church...Your civil marriage stands in direct opposition to the teaching of the Catholic Church, therefore ending your employment with us, effective today." Contacted to discuss the firing, O'Rourke referred all questions to diocesan spokesman David Hains.

The firing came four days after a Supreme Court ruling that churches are exempt from employment anti-discrimination laws. St. Gabriel claims that the timing is a mere coincidence.

Tony Adams: A Letter From The Bishop

Tonight: A special JMG event as Father Tony Adams presents the first public reading of his new play, A Letter From The Bishop.

In November of 2011, Father Tony wrote "A Letter From The Bishop", a play about three gay priests and their Catholic bishop who is against marriage equality. It is also about promises, obedience and conscience. Most of you are familiar with the energetic homophobia of the Roman Catholic bishops of America, but obscure is the soul of the gay priest who must follow that agenda. Or not. Although the characters are entirely fictional, the business of the play is being repeated in cities across the country. The four readers are Ken Averett, Philip Brisbois, Tim Rogers and Chad Thilborger. (That cast includes an Episcopalian priest, an ex-Jesuit and two professional actors. You'll be hard pressed to assign the labels correctly!) The reading is hosted by Stonewall National Museum and Archives in Fort Lauderdale.

The reading begins at 7pm Eastern time. You may see a short commercial before the feed goes live. If you'd like to chat with others watching the feed, hit the large mid-screen play button to open a new window. Click the lower play button to stay on JMG.

UPDATE: The performance is completed. Thanks everybody!

Donohue: Nicki Minaj Is Possessed

Right on cue, Catholic League blowhard Bill Donohue has issued an angry denouncement of Nicki Minaj's Grammy performance.

Minaj’s performance began on stage with a mock confessional skit. This was followed by a taped video depicting a mock exorcism. With stained glass in the background, she appeared on stage again with choir boys and monks dancing. Perhaps the most vulgar part was the sexual statement that showed a scantily clad female dancer stretching backwards while an altar boy knelt between her legs in prayer. Finally, 'Come All Ye Faithful' was sung while a man posing as a bishop walked on stage; Minaj was shown levitating. None of this was by accident, and all of it was approved by The Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammys. Whether Minaj is possessed is surely an open question, but what is not in doubt is the irresponsibility of The Recording Academy. Never would they allow an artist to insult Judaism or Islam. It’s bad enough that Catholics have to fight for their rights vis-à-vis a hostile administration in Washington without also having to fend off attacks in the entertainment industry. The net effect, however, will only embolden Catholics, as well as their friends in other faith communities.

As I said last night, whatever you feel about Nicki Minaj, pissing off freak shows like Bill Donohue is always a good thing.

ILLINOIS: Activists Protest Outside Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral

This was the demonstration that got Porno Pete so worked up yesterday. Windy City Times reports:

Despite a blistering cold morning, more than 20 LGBT activists protested outside of Holy Name Cathedral Feb. 12, a demonstration held in conjunction with National Freedom to Marry Day. The protest, held every year outside the church around Valentine's Day, carried special weight this year after Catholic Cardinal Francis George compared the annual Pride Parade to a Ku Klux Klan gathering in December. The pro-gay protesters were greeted by a counter-protest of approximately 10 people on the steps of the Cathedral, who came bearing signs that read "one man, one woman."

Protesters marched outside the church for more than an hour, chanting "equal rights for everybody" and "stop politicizing love." "This is not an anti-Catholic demonstration," said Andy Thayer of Gay Liberation Network, one of the groups that organized the protest. "This is a demonstration against the Catholic leadership." While some chanted that George was a "bigot" and "archbigot," others expressed discomfort with the intensity of that message or simply greeted parishioners exiting church rather than chanting.

[Top Photo: Kevin Wayne. Bottom Photo: Kate Sosin]

Grammy Tweet Of The Day

If you think Lady No Ground Zero Mosque is upset, just wait until tomorrow's inevitable spittle-flecked and outraged press release from Bill Donohue. Probably like most of you, I watched Nicki Minaj in a state of WTF? But I do so love blasphemy, so there's that.

UPDATE: This clip will surely be yanked at once, but maybe you'll get to it before the YouTube police do.

UPDATE II: The clip has been removed.

Angry Porno Pete Is Angry

Archdiocese Of Milwaukee Accused Of 8000 Incidents Of Child Molestation

Court documents filed in the bankruptcy case for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee appear to have revealed over 8000 incidents of child molestation not previously reported. New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who is about to be elevated to Cardinal, is the former Archbishop Of Milwaukee. Some suspect Dolan of having hidden over $130M in church funds in order to avoid massive court-ordered child molestation settlements.

Archdiocese spokeswoman Julie Wolf said she did not have enough information to respond to the assertion, made by attorney Jeffrey Anderson during a pivotal hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Susan V. Kelley. Anderson represents about 350 of the 570 victim-survivors who have filed claims in the case. But Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests speculated that some are likely members of religious orders, such as Capuchins or Franciscans. Order officials do not typically make public the names of their accused members, and the archdiocese claims it is not responsible for them, though they have historically helped to staff its parishes and schools. "This is a public safety crisis, a child safety crisis that needs to be investigated," Isely said at a news conference on the federal courthouse steps, surrounded by fellow survivors and reporters. "We need to know who they are and where they are. How can there be 8,000 crimes committed by over 100 offenders and there be no accountability?" he said.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has vigorously sought the dismissal of molestation charges against several priests, arguing that the statute of limitations on their crimes has expired. (Tipped by JMG reader Tom)

Today's Hilarious Lie From NOM

Did you know that the Ninth Circuit Court declared marriage itself to be unconstitutional? According to NOM, it did. Brown Brownshirt:

I don't know about you but my blood is boiling! Not only must our founding fathers be rolling over in their graves with the preposterous notion that marriage is unconstitutional, but the ruling is an affront to the millions of Americans—the vast majority of the nation—who recognize that man does not have the right to redefine marriage. After all, how can federal judges redefine something that man didn't create? Make no mistake about it—yesterday's ruling will also be reversed by the Supreme Court.

I believe that God will stand by those who stand by His design for marriage. We have to do our part to get the case to the Supreme Court, where we can win the ultimate victory to preserve Prop 8 and traditional marriage across the land. Your donation is tax-deductible and will be kept confidential. Whether you can give $10,000, $1,000, $100 or $10, we need your help today! Every penny you give will go directly toward the Prop 8 legal expenses.

If they weren't so evil, they'd truly be laughable.

Cardinal Edward Egan Withdraws Apology For Priest Molestation Scandals

Cardinal Edward Egan has withdrawn his apology for the child molestation scandals that were exposed when he was the Archbishop of New York. That 2002 letter of apology was read to all of the congregations under his control.

A decade after that letter, the former archbishop of New York, and former bishop of Bridgeport, now describes the handling of the priest-abuse crisis under his watch as “incredibly good.” He said of the letter, "I never should have said that,” and added, “I don’t think we did anything wrong.” “I never had one of these sex abuse cases.” he said, before adding pompously, “If you have another bishop in the United States who has the record I have, I’d be happy to know who he is.”

He also claimed that the Church had no obligation to report abuse to the civil authorities. These are lies, strutting around with pride. The Church is required to report abuse, according to laws on the books since the 1970s. Bishop Egan ran a diocese that was notoriously dangerous for children. Contrary to his claim, during his twelve-year enthronement at Bridgeport, Egan repeatedly failed to investigate priests where there were obvious signs of abuse, according to The Hartford Courant. His diocese had to settle the cases and awarded victims some $12-15 million in damages.

In 2009 Egan was succeeded by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, who himself is about to be elevated to Cardinal. Like Dolan, he is a vocal opponent of LGBT rights.

Brown Brownshirt Whines About WA

Maine Bishop Launches "Ex-Gay" Group

Conveniently timed to coincide with the renewed marriage equality battle, Maine's Bishop Richard Malone is launching an "ex-gay" group.

Malone announced in a press release the establishment of a local chapter of Courage, a worldwide spiritual support group based in Norwalk, Conn. The Rev. Kevin Martin, who serves St. Michael Parish in Augusta, has been appointed the chaplain for the ministry. “This service is being initiated in response to requests from people who desire the church’s assistance,” Sue Bernard, spokeswoman for the diocese, said in the press release. Courage was founded in 1980 in the Archdiocese of New York. The organization now has has more than 100 chapters and more than 1,500 people on its electronic mailing list worldwide, according to information on its website. The program is patterned after 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

(Tipped by JMG reader Seth)

Minnesota Hate Group Lists Major Donations From Catholic Church & NOM

Minnesota For Marriage has posted over $830,000 in donations, almost all of which comes from the Catholic Church and NOM, which likely gets most of their money from the Catholic Church. Feed the poor? Clothe the homeless? FUCK THAT. Hit the link and scroll through. (Via JMG reader Jim)

"Prayerful And Devout" Employee Rips Off NY Archdiocese For More Than $1 Million

But she prayed and went to Mass every day!

Anita Collins, 67, was wearing a crucifix and handcuffs at her arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court for grand larceny and falsifying business records — charges that could send her to jail for up to 25 years if she is convicted. The white-haired bookkeeper alternately prayed and glared at the news photographers as investigators laid out her alleged scam. She did not enter a plea and was ordered held on $750,000 bail. “She held herself out to be a religious woman going to church every day,” said Assistant District Attorney Amy Justiniano said. “Yet, behind their backs she would lie and steal.”

Compared to their kiddie-fucking payouts, the Archdiocese will probably just file this loss under "miscellaneous." Meanwhile Collins will go to confession, be ordered to say ten "my bads," and she'll be square with the house.