‘Why Would Any Christian Vote For Her?’: Pro-Life Orgs React To Harris’ ‘Anti-Religious Freedom’ Abortion Stance
'Pledges to federally steamroll Americans'
'Finally!' Trump lauds effort to highlight Kamala Harris' 'anti-Catholic record'
President Donald Trump lauded the efforts by a Christian advocacy group Wednesday to raise awareness about Vice President Kamala Harris' apparent antipathy to Catholics, Catholic organizations, and Catholic moral teaching.
Speaking to a large crowd Friday at the Turning Point Believers' Summit in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump suggested that the "radical left ideology Kamala supports is really militantly hostile towards Americans of faith" and that Harris personally has an issue with Catholics.
Harris "viciously attacked highly qualified judicial nominees simply because they were members of the Knights of Columbus, suggesting that their Catholic faith disqualified them from serving on the federal bench," said Trump.
Trump nominated Brian Buescher to sit on the U.S. District Court in Nebraska in 2018. During Buescher's nomination process, Democrats took issue with his religious affiliation and membership in the massive Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus, which is well known for its charitable outreach and the assistance it provides to persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
Then-Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), an advocate for abortion up until birth who has in recent days secured the full support of various abortion outfits, wrote to Buescher, "Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed a woman's right to choose when you joined the organization?"
It's unclear whether Harris knew at the time that the Catholic Church has opposed abortion since the first century and still officially affirms the "moral evil of every procured abortion."
Harris also asked Buescher, "Were you aware that the Knights of Columbus opposed marriage equality when you joined the organization?"
Again, the organization's recognition of marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman is simply reflective of the official teaching of the Catholic Church.
'Harris's animus toward Catholicism is not limited to inquisition of Catholic nominees for federal courts.'
The archbishop of Philadelphia at the time, Charles Chaput, blasted Harris and her fellow travelers for these and other questions insinuating that Catholics such as Buescher are unfit to sit as American judges, writing, "The sheer ignorance, not the mention injustice, in the senators' describing the Knights as 'extreme' would be baffling – if it weren't part of pattern of bigoted thinking already sanctified by other senators like Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) in her vulgar 2017 grilling of now-Judge Amy Coney Barrett ('The dogma lives loudly within you, and that's a concern')."
Kenneth Craycraft, the James J. Gardner Chair of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary and School of Theology, underscored in First Things that "Harris's animus toward Catholicism is not limited to inquisition of Catholic nominees for federal courts, but also extends to harassment of public organizations whose missions are consistent with Catholic moral theology."
For instance, Harris introduced legislation aimed at forcing "religious individuals and organizations to engage in activities that directly violate their firmly held religious beliefs" and co-sponsored the "Equality Act," which would "force Catholic hospitals, for example, to perform gender transition surgeries, open women’s restrooms to men, and force girls and women to compete against boys and men in athletic competitions."
Trump noted Friday, "I don't know how a Catholic can vote for the Democrats because they're after the Catholics almost as much as they're after me."
Trump also noted that his victory in November would mean an end to the kind of targeting of Christians and pro-life activists undertaken by the Biden-Harris Department of Justice and FBI. He further promised to review the cases of "every political prisoner who has been unjustly victimized by the Biden-Harris regime," including Catholic activist "Paulette Harlow, the 75-year-old woman in poor health who the Biden-Harris administration sent to prison for peacefully protesting outside of a clinic."
Days after his speech, Trump recognized online that he was not the only person calling out Harris over her religious bigotry.
Ahead of Trump's speech, the advocacy group CatholicVote launched a multimillion-dollar ad campaign hammering Harris in critical swing states over her anti-Catholic record.
The group's president, Brian Burch, stated, "Kamala Harris hates what we believe."
"Not only is this a gross form of anti-religious bigotry, it's also unconstitutional," Burch said in reference to the Buescher incident. “Harris' version of being Catholic is a Catholic who surrenders their core beliefs."
Trump celebrated the group's efforts on Truth Social, writing Wednesday, "A large group of Catholics is launching a major Political Campaign against Crazy Kamala Harris. FINALLY!"
"Catholics are literally being persecuted by this Wack Job, just ask the Knights of Columbus," wrote Trump. "They say that she is the most Anti-Catholic person ever to run for high office in the U.S. This respected group wants ALL CATHOLICS TO VOTE AGAINST KAMALA, and they are 100% correct."
CatholicVote responded, "We're proud to expose Kamala's vile hatred of Catholics. Having a President who unapologetically brings this hatred to light is needed to combat religious bigotry."
Should Harris pick Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate — which she is apparently now strongly considering — the Democratic ticket will be weighed down by even more anti-Catholic baggage.
In 2017, then-state Attorney General Shapiro, who has counted the Catholic Church among his opponents, announced at a Planned Parenthood center that he was suing the Trump administration for providing religious nonprofits with an exemption from having to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives and other services at odds with their deeply held religious beliefs.
Facing the potential of millions of dollars in fines for noncompliance, the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns who take care of the elderly poor, ultimately fought back and won.
When referencing the lawsuit years later, Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) said that Shapiro "has a real grudge against the Catholic Church."
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Kansas City 'apologies' for doxxing star kicker Butker over Catholic beliefs — but that's not enough for the Missouri AG
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, 28, gave a commencement speech last weekend at Benedictine College wherein he dared to articulate beliefs anchored in the millenniums-old moral teachings of the Catholic Church, now codified in the Catechism and followed by millions of Americans nationwide.
The three-time Super Bowl champ drew the ire of radicals in the liberal media and political establishment for doing so — for echoing the late Pope John Paul II in noting that "abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder."
The kicker further enraged leftists by celebrating the institution of marriage, the vocation of motherhood, the link between male weakness and cultural dysfunction, the sinfulness of pride and Pride month, and by highlighting the incompatibility of President Joe Biden's professed faith and his views on abortion.
After all, the Catholic Church has made clear that abortion "is gravely contrary to the moral law"; "formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense" carrying the canonical penalty of excommunication; and Catholic political leaders have an obligation to stand up for the rights of the unborn.
Besides upsetting talking heads on cable news shows, Butker's expression of Catholic views at a Catholic school evidently enraged the person running Kansas City's social media accounts.
Doxxed
Kansas City's X account posted, "Just a reminder that Harrision Butker lives in ...," then provided the location where the kicker could be found.
This tweet, which was posted at 7:41 p.m. on Wednesday, qualifies as textbook "doxxing," defined as the public identification or publication "of private information about (someone) especially as a form of punishment or revenge."
There was a swift backlash against the city online as it was widely understood this tweet amounted to an effort to punish and possibly endanger Butker over his opinions.
'Use of government social media to retaliate against an individual based on their religious beliefs amounts to discriminatory behavior that is not tolerated under our Constitution or Missouri statute.'
Matthew Peterson, editor in chief at Blaze News, noted, "If our cities are revealing private information about the residents they are supposed to be serving simply because local government officials disagree with their political views and statements, that's a call to action. Solving this problem will take a lot more than complaining on the internet. Americans need to band together and work locally to hold their local governments accountable."
Just hours later, at 9:21 p.m., the Kansas City account posted, "We apologies [sic] for our previous tweet. It was shared in error."
That tweet ostensibly served to draw further attention to the now-deleted doxxing effort, prompting even more outrage.
Catholic conservative commentator Michael Knowles wrote, "@KansasCity: not only criminal but also illiterate."
Some social media users have suggested that the author of the tweet may have been Andrea Watts, whose LinkedIn profile similarly contained a rather glaring spelling error — "Social Media Mangement [sic]" — and was recently been deactivated.
Michael Caputo, a former Department of Health and Human Services official in the Trump administration, said, "The City of Kansas City, MO must fire its entire social media team immediately."
Twenty minutes after the initial apology, Mayor Quinton Lucas joined in the damage-control effort, writing, "A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels."
Lucas' response was also met with ridicule.
'Your office apparently believes it is appropriate to denigrate a devout Catholic for comments he made about his own faith at a religious college.'
Garrett Henson, chairman of the Kansas Federation of College Republicans, mocked the mayor's response, writing, "'We now realize that it's bad to dox people with the Kansas City X account. Rest assured that there will be no consequences for this action moving forward.'"
Missouri AG weighs in
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey was not impressed by the city's apparent effort to intimidate a Christian over his deeply held beliefs — and he didn't need a tweet to know where to direct his ire.
Bailey indicated on Thursday, "My office is demanding accountability after @KansasCity doxxed @buttkicker7 last night for daring to express his religious beliefs. I will enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion. Stay tuned."
Bailey subsequently penned a letter to Mayor Lucas noting, "It has been reported that the city of Kansas City has retaliated against a well-respected local resident and member of the Kansas City Chiefs after he spoke about his religious views."
"Your office's X account likely publicly released residential location information on a private citizen, Harrison Butker, in an attempt to retaliate against him for expressing his sincerely held religious beliefs at a religious college's commencement ceremony — to an audience that largely shares his views," continued Bailey. "Use of government social media to retaliate against an individual based on their religious beliefs amounts to discriminatory behavior that is not tolerated under our Constitution or Missouri statute."
The AG underscored that America is founded upon a commitment to the free exercise of religion and that Missouri law "specifically prohibits faith-based discrimination against Missouri residents."
Bailey added, "Your office apparently believes it is appropriate to denigrate a devout Catholic for comments he made about his own faith at a religious college."
Extra to indicating the city may have violated state law, Bailey made abundantly clear to the NFL, without naming it outright: "I assure you that I am prepared to use the authority provided in statute to defend the principle of free religious expression."
"Mr. Butker was well within his rights to discuss his religious views — views which are shared by millions of members of his faith tradition," wrote Bailey. "Sadly, history is filled with examples of people of religious faith being targeted for their beliefs by government officials."
Radicals have targeted Butker, and the NFL has reportedly hung him out to dry. On the flip side, Butker's jersey is now reportedly among the most popular in the league.
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Nicaraguan regime bans Christian activities during Holy Week, organizes fashion shows instead
Nicaragua's Marxist-Leninist regime has once again banned public Christian activities associated with Holy Week and Easter.
Instead of communal displays of Christian faith, Rosario Murillo, the power-mad wife of Nicaraguan dictator Daniel Ortega, has ensured that only festivities favorable to the regime will be permitted to take over the streets.
The regime's decision to continue its brutal repression of Christians, most notably Catholics, comes amid new U.S. sanctions targeting Nicaraguan Attorney General Wendy Carolina Morales Urbina for her role in executing the "regime's unjust persecution of political prisoners and civil society within the country."
The U.S. State Department also announced new arms restrictions against Nicaragua on March 14, citing concerns "about continuing brutal repression by Ortega-Murillo authorities against the people of Nicaragua."
Background
The Catholic Church in Nicaragua had a fleeting flirtation with the Sandinistas in the 20th century. However, in the 1980s, Pope John Paul II cleaned house, suspending clergymen who supported revolutionary Marxism. The former Roman pontiff also promoted a steadfast critic of the Sandinistas, then-Archbishop Miguel Obano y Bravo, to cardinal in 1985.
The church's revived defiance of leftism in Managua and frequent alliance with Nicaraguan conservatives made it an easy target for persecution. The church became an even bigger target when it supported critics of the regime during the 2018 protests, which Ortega turned bloody.
Blaze News previously reported that at the outset of his fourth term in office in 2018, Ortega's paramilitaries sent a clear message, shooting up a church. Ortega suggested that Catholics critical of the regime or sympathetic to critics of the regime were "terrorists."
Now in his fifth term, the leftist dictator's attacks on Catholics have worsened. The regime routinely targets Catholics with arbitrary raids, beatings, disappearances, deportations, church burnings, and asset seizures. Additionally, Ortega's regime has shuttered thousands of church-affiliated organizations and services in recent years.
The Associated Press indicated that despite support for the regime among several evangelical leaders, the regime has also begun extending its persecution to other Christian groups, closing or dissolving more than 256 associations linked to the Protestant or evangelical church since 2021.
This persecution has prompted an estimated 80% of the country's clergy and religious to flee.
Frederick Davie, the vice chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said earlier this year, "USCIRF is outraged that the Nicaraguan government has chosen to continue its brutal crackdown on members of the Catholic Church for speaking out about the religious freedom and human rights violations occurring in the country."
"It has become increasingly clear that President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo are intent on silencing the voice of any individual peacefully following the dictates of their conscience," added Davie.
Holy week in the shadow of the regime
Last year, the regime banned public Holy Week events, processions, and outdoor masses. Murillo blasted those who dared complain, claiming they "do not know how to be respectful or show solidarity."
The Associated Press reported that extra to shutting down religious activities, authorities also picked up and deported clergymen.
The regime has doubled down this year.
Martha Patricia Molina, a Nicaraguan lawyer who authored the Spanish language report "Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church?" noted on Facebook that the regime had banned "4,800 processions for Lent/Holy Week 2024[.] This figure includes the processions that took place/will take place on the 4 Fridays of Lent, Palm Sunday and those that took place directly in the Major Week itself."
Molina indicated that parishes have or will hold religious activities indoors, but that state officials may interfere with those as well, reported the Catholic News Agency.
"Some processions have been allowed around the block where the church is, but at the last minute a National Police officer shows up and gives a counter-order so the people can’t come out (of the church for the procession), under threat of being imprisoned," wrote Molina.
Molina told a Spanish-language news outfit, "Nicaragua is a country very given, as a Catholic people, to popular piety."
As a result, various townships and municipalities will attempt to hold Holy Week activities even if the Catholic Church is officially barred from doing so.
The Christian Post reported that Murillo, the dictator's wife, has indicated that this year, officials will swap out religious processions with "popular processions." These processions, organized by the regime's Institute of Tourism, will emphasize the Sandinistas' radical ideology throughout Holy Week.
Rather than prayerful reflection, the Ortega-Murillo regime has reportedly opted for fashion shows, beauty contests, and other materialistic distractions. While the regime insists that its approved message floods the streets, it also promotes anti-Christian hatred on television and the radio.
A new human rights report from the United Nations indicated that "led by the President and the Vice-President, hate speech inciting to violence and discrimination against the Catholic Church has been disseminated through pro-government media."
Republican Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), and Katie Britt (Ala.) implored President Joe Biden last week to sanction Nicaragua for its "repeated violations of religious freedom in Nicaragua."
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Transgender Funeral At New York Cathedral Was Likely A ‘Vicious’ Anti-Catholic Hate Crime
The trans activists previously — and explicitly — acknowledged their plans to deceive church administrators in order to violate Catholic doctrine.What My Family’s Bloody History In The Spanish Civil War Teaches About The FBI’s Assault On Catholics
Authoritarian governments have always hated Christians.California's first Muslim assemblyman joins Christian lawmakers in protesting Democrats' ceremony honoring gay pornographer from anti-Catholic group
The Los Angeles Dodgers are not the only woke outfit paying homage to an anti-Christian group this month. California Democrats honored a member of the so-called Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on the floor of the state Senate Monday.
Republican lawmakers, unwilling to be party to the endorsement of the group and/or its ambassador, joined the Catholics, Evangelicals, and real nuns gathered outside the state Capitol in peaceful protest.
Among those who stood up and walked out in solidarity was Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli, the first Muslim elected to the California State Assembly.
Essayli held up a sign that read "Religious bigotry is bigotry," then walked off the Assembly floor in protest of the ceremony honoring the SPI. He later noted on Instagram, "This group engages in outrageous displays of mockery and ridicule against more than one billion Catholics worldwide."
TheBlaze previously reported that the SPI touts itself as a "leading-edge order of queer and trans nuns."
The motto for the San Francisco-based group is "go forth and sin some more," an inversion of Christ's command to "go, and sin no more."
Extra to ridiculing Catholic teaching and doctrine — the church's orthodox views on marriage, sexuality, homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion in particular — the group has defiled the Eucharist and performed public sex acts involving religious icons.
A viral video recently shared on Twitter by Claremont fellow Megan Basham showed a performance by alleged members of the group wherein one male stripper writhed and gyrated on a second male stripper pretending to be the crucified Christ.
KGO-TV reported that Michael Williams, the Bay Area transvestite who calls himself Sister Roma, was invited to the state Capitol in Sacramento as part of a celebration of LGBT activism.
Williams, a staunch supporter of both COVID-19 masking and bringing kids to drag shows, is a gay pornography director and fetishist who made headlines for his participation in a 2007 BDSM-themed mockery of Leonardo da Vinci's depiction of Christ's last supper.
He said, "I'm completely floored that I'm being recognized with this amazing honor."
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who claimed that "the word groomer is categorically an anti-LGBTQ hate word" then advanced a law that made California a sanctuary state for child sex-change mutilations, was the member of the LGBTQ caucus responsible for inviting Williams to the state Senate.
Wiener, also responsible for a law enabling judges to keep men who prey on grade schoolers 10 years their junior, between the ages of 14 and 17, off sex-offender registries, added, "Catholic organizations that are demonizing the Sisters and saying that they are somehow hateful or anti-Catholic have it completely backwards."
Jonathan Keller, president of the California Family Council, said of the ceremony, "It’s disheartening to see the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now the California Legislature honor a group characterized by its mockery of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. This promotion of the blasphemous ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ shows a clear disregard for the religious sentiments of millions of Californians. Such an act sends a troubling message to our people of faith across the Golden State."
Republican state senators, less than enthused about Wiener's nominee and the hate group he hails from, penned a letter last week to leftist Senate leader Toni Atkins (D), requesting that the invitation to the hate-group member be withdrawn, reported the Los Angeles Times.
"The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, through their public disparagement of the Catholic Faith, have displayed a disregard for the principles of tolerance and understanding that should guide our society. Honoring them in the Senate Chambers would be inappropriate and contrary to the values we hold dear," said the letter.
Atkins denied the request, writing, "The request to remove a philanthropic member of our LGBTQ+ community from the LGBTQ Caucus' Pride Month honorees is a misguided distraction on the first day of Pride month. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I respect my Republican colleagues, but I'm extremely disappointed in them for leaning in to polarization."
\u201cAfter Republicans criticized Sister Roma\u2019s invitation to participate at the Capitol\u2019s pride ceremonies, she gets a standing ovation and loudest applause on the Assembly floor.\u201d— Ashley Zavala (@Ashley Zavala) 1685999411
While the tranvestic member of the hate group was ultimately honored, Republicans removed themselves so as not to endorse the SPI and its anti-Christian message.
James Gallagher, the Assembly Republican Leader, stated, "I will not be participating in the recognition of a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. As a Christian, I love all people. I believe Christ made a path to salvation for all who want to follow. I also believe strongly in religious freedom and I have compassion, tolerance and respect for those who believe differently. No one should be discriminated against simply because of who they are or what they believe."
"That is why I will not celebrate those who engage in religious bigotry or attempt to co-opt our faith into something it is not," continued Gallagher. "Their vulgar mockery of our Christian faith is extremely insulting and disrespectful. We cannot condone this."
Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones (R) told Fox News Digital, "Senate Democrats have shown a blatant disregard for the 10 million Catholic Californians in our state," adding, "were this group to spread hateful messages about Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or any other religion, Senate Democrats would certainly not extend this invitation."
KNVN reported that Gallagher joined Sacramento Catholic Bishop Jaime Soto at the prayer protest outside, who recited the Our Father.
Essayli, an Abrahamic ally, stressed on Instagram, "An attack against one faith is an attack on all faith. Bigotry of any kind cannot be tolerated, or worse yet, formally dignified by the State of California."
LGBTQ Caucus Press Availability with Sister Roma youtu.be
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Blake Treinen denounces Dodgers' endorsement of anti-Christian bigotry: 'My convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first'
L.A. Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen has taken a stand against his team's decision to celebrate an anti-Catholic hate group as part of an upcoming LGBT pride ritual, becoming the third player in the league to do so.
"I am disappointed to see the Sister's [sic] of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium. Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith," Treinen wrote in a Tuesday statement. "This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger's [sic] to 'honor' the Sister's [sic] of Perpetual Indulgence."
The 34-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, was referencing the Dodgers' controversial and twice-reversed decision to confer the "Community Hero Award" to the so-called Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium on June 16.
According to its website, the SPI is a "leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns."
The motto for the San Francisco-based group is "Go forth and sin some more," an inversion of Christ's command to "go, and sin no more."
Since its inception on Easter Sunday 1979, the SPI has long ridiculed Catholic teaching and doctrine, mocking the church's orthodox views on marriage, sexuality, homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion.
Brian Burch, the president of the advocacy group CatholicVote, indicated that in "one famous stunt, they tricked an archbishop into giving them the Eucharist – the most important sacrament of the Catholic faith – so they could defile it."
A viral video recently shared on Twitter by Claremont fellow Megan Basham showed a performance by alleged members of the group wherein one male stripper writhed and gyrated on a second male stripper pretending to be the crucified Christ.
While Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), CatholicVote, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, various clergymen, and others condemned the Dodgers' endorsement of the hate group, with some calling for a boycott of the team, there was relative silence from Christians in the league.
TheBlaze previously reported that Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw said in a Monday interview with the Los Angeles Times that he was opposed to the decision to honor the SPI, saying, "I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions."
Pitcher Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals took a less diplomatic tone, explicitly condemning the decision and calling on his "fellow Catholics to reconsider their support of an organization that allows this type of mockery of its fans to occur."
Treinen, like Williams, did not mince words.
"I believe Jesus Chris died on the cross for my sins. I believe the word of God is true, and in Galatians 6:7 it says, 'do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; a man reaps what he sows,'" wrote Treinen.
"I understand that playing baseball is a privilege, and not a right. My convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first," continued the pitcher. "Inviting the Sister's [sic] of Perpetual Indulgence to perform disenfranchises a large community and promotes hate of Christians and people of faith. ...People like baseball for its entertainment value and competition. The fans do not want propaganda or politics forced on them."
Treinen alluded to the deleterious impact that woke propaganda has had on companies such as Bud Light — whose parent company has seen its shares drop by over 20% in the two months since it partnered with a transvestic TikTok personality — and stressed the need to "leave the propaganda and politics off the field."
CatholicVote, the Christian advocacy group that has led the charge against the Dodgers' celebration of the SPI, lauded Treinen for his stance, calling it "one of the most powerful rebukes of the Dodgers since they first announced their collaboration with SPI."
It remains to be seen if the courage displayed by Williams, Treinen, and Kershaw will be contagious, as Philadelphia Flyers player Ivan Provorov's has been in the NHL. Provorov, a Russian Orthodox Christian player, refused to don LGBT activist colors in January. While he initially stood alone, Provorov was soon joined in his protest by several other players across the league.
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Sen. Rubio and outraged Christian groups successfully knock award ceremony for anti-Catholic drag queens out of Dodger Stadium: 'Common sense prevailed'
The Los Angeles Dodgers originally planned to honor an anti-Catholic hate group comprised of radical transvestites who routinely mock Christians and celebrate degeneracy. Facing significant backlash from Catholic groups and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the team has backed down.
The Dodges issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, writing, "This year, as part of a full night of programming, we invited a number of groups to join us. We are now aware that our inclusion of one group in particular – The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence – in this year's Pride Night has been the source of some controversy.
"Given the strong feelings of people who have been offended by the sisters' inclusion in our evening, and in an effort not to distract from the great benefits that we have seen over the years of Pride Night, we are deciding to remove them from this year's group of honorees," added the team.
This about-face has been commended by the targets of the hate group's mockery and criticized by LGBT activists.
What's the background?
TheBlaze previously reported that the Dodgers announced on May 4 that they were partnering with the activist group LA Pride for the 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium on June 16.
Together, they intended to confer the "Community Hero Award" to the so-called Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
According to its website, the SPI is a "leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns."
The motto for the San Francisco-based group is "Go forth and sin some more," an inversion of Christ's command to "go, and sin no more."
Since its inception on Easter Sunday 1979, the SPI has long ridiculed Catholic teaching and doctrine, mocking the church's orthodox views on marriage, sexuality, homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion.
Brian Burch, the president of the advocacy group CatholicVote, indicated in "one famous stunt, they tricked an archbishop into giving them the Eucharist – the most important sacrament of the Catholic faith – so they could defile it."
The Dodgers reportedly chose the anti-Christian group "for their countless hours of community service, ministry, and outreach to those on the edges, in addition to promoting human rights and respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment."
What was the response?
Outraged Catholics and Christians from other denominations deluged both the Dodgers and the league with complaints, with some noting that the league's alleged commitment to welcoming everyone apparently did not extend to adherents of a religious tradition spanning more than two millennia.
CatholicVote called on Catholics earlier this week to contact the Dodgers and demand they cancel the plan to confer the award to the "anti-Catholic hate group."
The advocacy group noted hours later that the mailbox of the Dodgers' administrative offices had been filled.
Burch highlighted how "the award comes at a time when Catholics are under threat across the country," pointing to the more-than 300 acts of violence and vandalism against Catholic churches.
"We sincerely doubt that the Dodgers would give such an award to a group which made a similar travesty of the Jewish faith or Muslim faith," Burch noted. "Anti-religious bigotry of any kind has no place in baseball."
Sen. Rubio, a baptized Catholic, unloaded on MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in a letter Monday, noting, "Recently, you stated that Major League Baseball needs to 'make decisions that are as inclusive and welcoming to everyone as possible, and keep us as apolitical as possible.' I write to ask whether your League wants to be 'inclusive and welcoming' to Christians, and if so, why you are allowing an MLB team to honor a group that mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith."
Rubio asked Manfred, "Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being 'inclusive and welcoming to everyone' by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians—and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others? Do you believe such an award is 'apolitical'?"
The Republican senator added that it "would be an outrage and a tragedy if the MLB, in pursuit of modern, secular, and indeed anti-religious 'values,' rebuked that faith and the millions of believing fans who cherish the sport."
Degenerates knocked out of the park
After the Dodgers announced on Wednesday the SBI would not be receiving the award at the stadium in June, Rubio took to Twitter, writing, "For once, common sense prevailed in California."
CatholicVote president Brian Burch said of the development, "We are pleased that the @Dodgers reconsidered their decision to honor an anti-Catholic hate group known for their gross mockery of Catholic nuns."
Burch added, "While we continue to wonder how such a group was selected in the first place, this incident should serve as a wake-up call for all religious believers: unchecked woke corporations have no qualms about exploiting people of faith."
While Catholics and other Christians may be happy that a hate group that openly mocks their faith won't be lauded as heroes at center field, at least not on June 16, LGBT activists and SBI members are livid.
The LGBT activist group Equality California bemoaned the team's decision, noting it had taken place on the so-called International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.
Equality California's executive director Tony Hoang criticized the Dodgers' decision, stating, "The anti-LGBTQ+ extremists who advocated for the removal of the Sisters from Pride Night are the very same people who are trying to erase the rights of trans kids and their families, criminalize drag performance and roll back equality for LGBTQ+ people across the country — we cannot and will not let them win."
One member of SBI, who calls himself "Sister Roma," tweeted, "So disappointing to see the @Dodgers cave to the conservative psuedo-Christian homophobes."
The San Francisco chapter of the SBI said in a Thursday statement, "The Dodgers capitulated in response to hateful and misleading information from people outside their community, who target not only the LGBTQQ++ community but also women’s autonomy over their bodies, people and communities of color, and other faiths and nationalities."
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