Cardinal Francis George, who among his other accomplishments reportedly personally lobbied legislators against passage of Illinois' gay-inclusive civil rights bill (not to mention the civil unions bill) -- got his knickers in a twist and came out with this bit of extravagant hyperbole:
"I go with the pastor," George told Fox. "He's telling us that he won't be able to have services on Sunday if that's the case. You don't want the gay liberation movement to morph into something like the Klu Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism."
He backpedaled just a wee bit, but now is doubling down:
When the pastor's request for reconsideration of the plans was ignored, the organizers invited an obvious comparison to other groups who have historically attempted to stifle the religious freedom of the Catholic Church. One such organization is the Ku Klux Klan which, well into the 1940's, paraded through American cities not only to interfere with Catholic worship but also to demonstrate that Catholics stand outside of the American consensus. It is not a precedent anyone should want to emulate.
First off, he's lying: the request was not ignored. The parade planners and the city sat down with the pastor and worked out a compromise -- the route still passes the church, but the starting time has been moved back to noon so as not to interfere with morning services. The city had a legitimate concern about the route: it doubled back on itself, and the switchback at Halsted and Broadway was tricky at the best of times. And in the somewhat bizarre world-view of Cardinal George, a change in the route and timing of the parade mandated by the city is now an attempt by the GLBT community to abridge the religious freedom of Catholics -- just like the KKK. While Catholics are not outside the American consensus, it starts to look more and more as though the hierarchy is.
On the other hand: from the church in question:
The annual Pride Parade is one of the hallmarks that make Lakeview unique and we in no way wish to diminish its place in the community. The petition simply asks the City and the Chicago Pride Parade planners to consider our concern that the impact of the new route and time would have on the ability of people to participate at Sunday morning Masses.
Attempts to provide other access to our church will in no way enable our parishioners to navigate the anticipated crowds or to be able to celebrate Mass in the reflective, contemplative atmosphere that is so important to us.
Parishioners, the residents of our diverse community, the many visitors who will enjoy our neighborhood that weekend, all want to have a safe, peaceful and enjoyable Pride Sunday.
As I noted above, the three parties sat down and quite amicably reached a compromise -- with nary a hood or white sheet to be seen.
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