CNN to Bishop Malone: ‘Why Not Get on Board’
CNN's Kyra Phillips asked a Catholic bishop on Thursday "why not get on board" with dissenting Catholics who favor gay marriage. Given CNN's pastsupport for LGBT causes, they clearly would not question the motives of a religious minister favoring gay marriage.
In fact, in 2010 Phillips fawned over a Christian pastor who publicly began accepting the lifestyle of gays and lesbians. [Video below the break. Audio here.]
Phillips had cited a statistic saying 43 percent of American Catholics favor gay marriage. "So, Bishop, times are changing. Views are changing. You're changing your tactics even," Phillips said. "So, why not get on board with the 43 percent of Catholics?"
"Well their thinking is outside the realm of Catholic teaching for 2,000 years," Bishop Malone responded.
Phillips' interview with Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, was over the Catholic Church's new tactic concerning the state's referendum vote in November asking voters to approve same-sex marriage.
The bishop wanted to focus the resources of the diocese on educating Catholics about a "more profound" understanding of marriage between a man and a woman. But as he told Phillips, "let there be no confusion about the fact that the diocese and I will still be very involved in the effort to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman."
Phillips hyped the diocese's change in tactics as a "stunning move." She saw the opportunity to pop the question to the bishop, "Are you softening your stance on same-sex marriage?" To which Bishop Malone responded "Not at all. It will be even stronger and more vigorous."
A transcript of the segment, which aired on March 8 on Newsroom at 11:19 a.m. EST, is as follows:
KYRA PHILLIPS: Well, in the battle over same-sex marriage, a stunning move by the Catholic Church in Maine. The church says it will not actively campaign against a November referendum asking voters to approve gay marriage. Now, that stands in stark contrast with the church's position in 2009 when it waged a campaign to overturn a law passed that same year legalizing same-sex marriage.
Now, the gay activist group, Human Rights Campaign, says the church spent nearly $2 million in the fight to repeal that law. Joining us now, the bishop of Portland, Richard Malone. Bishop, thanks so much for being with me. You're not going to take an active role, from what I see here, in fundraising, staffing, advertising, or campaigning against the gay marriage referendum this time around. Why?
Bishop RICHARD MALONE, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine: Good morning, Kyra. Well, let there be no confusion about the fact that the diocese and I will still be very involved in the effort to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. But we've decided this year that our best efforts can be to put our energies and resources into educating our Catholic community better about the very nature of marriage.
PHILLIPS: So, Bishop, let me ask me – ask you. You know, this plan of action has changed quite drastically since 2009, you know, where you had very active campaign. And now you're moving toward education and putting funds towards that. Are you softening your stance on same-sex marriage?
MALONE: Not at all. It will be even stronger and more vigorous. One of our discoveries in 2009 was that really, many of our Catholic people in Maine could use a bit more profound understanding of how the church has understood marriage for 2,000 years. So, I decided, while we will certainly be in close contact with our allies who will lead the political battle, we intend to focus on the education and formation of consciences of our people.
PHILLIPS: Now, let me ask you, Bishop, according to the Public Religion Research Institute, right now – this is a recent survey that was conducted – Catholics are more supportive of legal recognition of same-sex relationships than members of any other Christian tradition and American overall. It reports 43 percent of Catholics nationally favor gay marriage. Is that why you're taking a different approach here?
MALONE: Well, you're on to something there, Kyra. To the extent that we can trust that those numbers are accurate – and that's always a question, of course – but that proves exactly the motivation for the approach that we're taking. We're taking no chances that our people will not have a really accurate understanding of what marriage is and to the impact on society should anyone try to change that definition of marriage.
PHILLIPS: So, Bishop, times are changing. Views are changing. You're changing your tactics even. Or your – I guess you say your strategy. So, why not get on board with the 43 percent of Catholics?
MALONE: The 43 percent who –
PHILLIPS: Who have no problem with gay marriage.
MALONE: Well their thinking is outside the realm of Catholic teaching for 2,000 years. And those are the folks that we want to focus on so they'll perhaps be able to have what I would call an intellectual conversion about a very key building-block of society, that is the nature of marriage as the union of one man, one woman.
Related:
Bishop Realeases Pastoral Letter on Marriage (BeautyofMarriage.org)
Pastoral Letter on Marriage from Maine’s Bishop Malone (Marriage: Unique for a Reason)
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How can the laity help?
How can we help?
First, prayer for our Bishop. He needs the grace and strength to be a good and faithful shepherd in the face of the world's scorn.
Second, prayer for our priests, most especially those who are weak and confused.
Third, prayer for the faithful, that they all have the strength to stand in defense of the truth with the spirit of true humility and self-sacrifice.
And finally, prayer for those who are our opponents in this matter, that God open their eyes to the grave threat to society that is the consequence of their efforts.
After that, keeping our eyes and ears open to the opportunities to place our particular abilities at the service of the Church and society in the practical efforts to defend marriage.
How can the laity help? I believe by clearly and compassionately articulating the Church's position. I often state that it is precisely because I support equal rights for gays that I oppose same sex marriage (which sparks some quizzical looks) - that I expect all people, gay or straight to hold to a life of chastity where we avoid the three dangerous misunderstandings of:
1) Sex is a fundamentally recreational rather than a fundamentally reproductive activity
2) That marriage is all about couples instead of about children
3) That intimate relationships are supposed to be sexualized
Thus, the real issue is not gay marriage but contraception and a distortion of marriage that it is all about couples thus deepening our collective selfishness and unconsciously or even consciously viewing children as a liability to be avoided.
In a sense, we should be grateful to the radical gay community for pointing out our inconsistencies (and it would probably go a long way to easing tensions and opening dialog if we would publicly state that). They are clamoring for rights that the heterosexual population do not have but have unjustly appropriated for themselves, i.e., the right to separate human sexuality from the love, nurturing, and procreation of children. Once we get that straight, then there is no logical connection between gay marriage and equality.
Then, gay and straight relationships become guided by the universal call to chastity in one's life and, since heterosexual relationship can be properly ordered (although they often are not and thus open the door to this whole argument) and homosexual relationships cannot be properly ordered, there is no basis for gay marriage.
Such an approach is not likely to convince one who rejects the Church's approach to human sexuality but at least it does two things. First, it puts the Church in the position of affirming equal rights, removing some of the adversarial positioning and tension as well as creating a common ground for dialog. Second, it avoids both the pitfall of accepting that which is morally unacceptable and the opposite pitfall of condemning those of a homosexual orientation simply for their orientation and trying to fit all homosexuals into a single box since, as the catechism states, "Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained."
By diffusing at least some of the tension, and showing that the Catholic position stems from holding all equally to the same standard, we have a fighting chance to establish a dialog and can reform our own heterosexual practices. At least those are my odd thoughts
I am thus 100% behind our wise Bishop's approach. Thank you Bishop.
John, what a well thought out and logical presentation of the situation. You are so right. I wish I could explain it as well to those that think gay marriage is a right. It makes me crazy when they urge the church to get with the times ! It's not about being modern but being moral. Contraception has been the worst thing to happen and most can't see that. I pray the Church can stay the course.
Of course, the Bishop is correct to emphasize education. The lack of knowledge of the faith is the direct result of poor catechesis, liberal-influenced study guides, and lay teachers without adequate knowledge of the faith. The old catechisms, abandoned after Vatican II, provided a strong skeleton on which to build a strong Body of Christ. I agree with Bishop Malone's emphasis on education: Now, more than ever, Catholics need to know what their faith truly stands for and whether they are willing to be figuratively or literally martyred for it. Open persecution of the Church by the media and the left is here, whether you want to believe it or not. We will either stand with the Truth or be sent away with the goats. To be sure it will cost some dearly, but at least they will know why the Church believes as it does. This is the real choice.
You know, I have to laugh when people quote how many Catholics are for redefining marriage. I have
actually heard as high as 70%.
My first thought is that the church is not a democracy! So many reporters, and even people sitting in the pews, do not understand this concept. They believe that if they get enough people in the Church to agree with redefining marriage, abortion or even women priests then the Church will change!
So misinformed are they!
You're very right.
What I find laughable is that if they actually believed that democracy was the guiding principle, then would tell the "43%" to "get on board" with the Church.
Once again this causes me to ask why we do not do a more thorough job in checking out those who want to minister or teach in our parishes. Has anyone seen an interview form for prospective volunteers which asks if they are authentically Catholic with such questions as...Are you confirmed?....When and where were you married?...Do you agree with the teachings of the Church on say abortion,contraception, IVP, fasting, euthanasia, the Real Presence, Sunday Mass, etc.?
If such a form exists I am interested in having a look see....if not, I am interested in creating one. I will ask around to my friends in various places and see if anyone knows something. I am not only concerned about the physical well being but more so the spiritual well being of not only children but adults. The timing is perfect for NOW!!!
Here is an excellent letter from Washington's Cardinal Wuerl addressing this issue head on:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cardinal-wuerl-on-fluke-flap-opinion-isnt-truth/
Please note that Georgetown University's president was off the mark and inappropriate. It is shocking how far our Catholic institutions have deteriorated. Georgetown should be a bastian of the Faith, producing scholars who can mount reasoned arguments in defense of Christ and His Church. Notre Dame has similar problems and has an endowed chair of philosophy taught by a man who feels that the authority of the bishops comes from the people (not the other way around), and, that if the majority of the faithful believe birth control is right, the bishops have no authority to contradict it. So whose sins you forgive are forgiven them comes from the people and not the Church. Sounds like Protestantism (And, these arguments underscore the very dangers of too extreme a view on the priesthood of the laity) to me.
Again, my point and it seems Ginny Allen's point, is that we have too many people running Catholic institutions who are not tried and true Catholics. The True Church will live on despite these heretics and non-Catholics, but souls are being lost, and Catholic education is being devalued. Time to remove these dissidents from our universities and hospitals and replace them with those who know, understand, and can defend the fully logical Faith that flows from Our Lord Himself.
Bishop Wuerl's statement is interesting for another reason.
In it, he underlines an ongoing debate among bishops, concerning the distribution of communion to public sinners. He claims that this can only be done to people who have been "publicly excommunicated", an interesting remark, since he and many others practically refuse to publicly excommunicate.
This debate has been going on in America for awhile, and concerns the proper application of canon law, which states that communion may not be given to public sinners.
I believe that out of the ashes of the current sufferings of the Church, this issue will also be cleaned up, with the result that priests of conscience everywhere will be able to refuse to engage in sacrilege against the Blessed Sacrament without fear of being harrassed by the public outcry of politically correct church authorities. We'll see.
I hope you all saw what the Administration released last night in a news "dump." They are mandating that ALL college students are to be given contraception, abortifacients, and sterilization without co-pays as part of any student health plan. This includes all religious colleges. This is a further insult to our Faith and the Bishops.