The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has issued a statement decrying the decision by the Los Angeles Dodgers to honor the sacrilegious and blasphemous drag group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their annual Pride Night on June 16.

The decision to honor a group that clearly mocks the Catholic faith and makes light of the sincere and holy vocations of our women religious who are an integral part of our Church is what has caused disappointment, concern, anger, and dismay from our Catholic community. The ministries and vocations of our religious women should be honored and celebrated through genuine acts of appreciation, reverence, and respect for their sacred vows, and for all the good works of our nuns and sisters in service of the mission of the Catholic Church. From providing a quality education for inner city students, to serving the sick, the homeless, the hungry and so many others in need, to caring for the souls of our faithful through prayer, our women religious have dedicated their lives to the Catholic faith and mission, sharing God’s loving grace with others. The Archdiocese stands against any actions that would disparage and diminish our Christian faith and those who dedicate their lives to Christ.

The Archdiocese calls on all Catholics and people of goodwill to stand against bigotry and hate in any form and to stand for respect for one another and for the religious beliefs of our communities of faith.  Let us also show our care and respect for our women religious by sending a message of support to their communities through phone calls, letters, and posts on their social channels, supporting vocations by donating to their orders, and/or making donations in their name to the programs they support. Let us show the world how much our women religious mean to us and our Church.

CREDIT: Beatrice Murch via Flickr, CC by 2.0

The story started last week when the Los Angeles Dodgers announced they would invite this group to their annual celebration of sexual deviance, Pride Night; see Dodgers Plan to Honor Anti-Catholic LGBT Group. Not only were they to be there, but they were also to receive an award of some kind.

The Los Angeles chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will receive this year’s Community Hero Award 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.

Ministry? YGTBFKM. Since when did mocking the Almighty qualify as ministry? They are as respectful of “diversity” as any group of Klansmen tap dancing in blackface. And if there is any vestige of “spiritual enlightenment” in their grotesque schtick, it is from an evil spirit. There was an outcry, and the invitation was rescinded; see LA Dodgers Back Down, Disinvite Offensive Anti-Catholic Trans Group From Pride Night. The group announced if they weren’t the center of attention, then they were not going to the Dodger’s “Pride Night,” see No LA Pride in Mudville? Miffed Gay Group Ditches Dodgers Event. Then there was an outcry from the alphabet people, and the Dodgers front office, being the highly principled people they are, promptly reinvited the group (Los Angeles Dodgers Cave to the Alphabet Mafia, Re-Invite Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Pride Night and Dear LA Dodgers Ownership: You Have Disrespected Generations of Fans, and Now You’re Going to Lose Them).

Because any form of anti-Catholic bigotry is great for progressive street cred, the mayor of Anaheim got into the act by condemning the Dodgers and issuing her own.

🏳️‍🌈 I’m inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to join me for @Angels Pride Night at Anaheim Stadium on June 7. Pride should be inclusive and like many, I was disappointed in the Dodgers decision. #CityofKindness #Anaheim

— Mayor Ashleigh Aitken (@AshleighAitken) May 20, 2023

The Diocese of Orange issued a statement opposing this action, particularly as Mayor Aitken highlights her religious affiliation on her website.

The decision to openly embrace a group whose demeaning behavior is anti-Catholic and anti-Christian is misguided and disrespectful to the sisters of the Catholic Church who minister in Orange County and selflessly dedicate their lives to God’s underserved people. We cannot condone any actions that have historically shown such high levels of disregard for the sincerely held beliefs of the faithful.

Just to be clear, what this vile group does is outside even the gray area of liberal theologians. The group mocks women religious, it mocks the Eucharist, and it mocks the Trinity. There is nothing redeeming about what they do. This is not one of those “lighten up, Francis” controversies. This should be offensive if you are Catholic, even vaguely Christian, or an Episcopalian.

Archbishop Jose Gomez is a warrior for the Faith.

I believe the best way for the Church to understand the new social justice movements is to understand them as pseudo-religions, and even replacements and rivals to traditional Christian beliefs. – Archbishop Jose Gomez pic.twitter.com/NYCpjzvcyT

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) November 4, 2021

Archbishop José Gomez, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, scolds Joe Biden:

"When politicians who profess the Catholic faith support [abortion] … it creates confusion among the faithful about what the Catholic Church actually teaches on these questions."

— LifeNews.com (@LifeNewsHQ) November 18, 2020

He called out Biden as president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops when Biden was first inaugurated.

At the same time, as pastors, the nation’s bishops are given the duty of proclaiming the Gospel in all its truth and power, in season and out of season, even when that teaching is inconvenient or when the Gospel’s truths run contrary to the directions of the wider society and culture. So, I must point out that our new President has pledged to pursue certain policies that would advance moral evils and threaten human life and dignity, most seriously in the areas of abortion, contraception, marriage, and gender. Of deep concern is the liberty of the Church and the freedom of believers to live according to their consciences.

Our commitments on issues of human sexuality and the family, as with our commitments in every other area — such as abolishing the death penalty or seeking a health care system and economy that truly serves the human person — are guided by Christ’s great commandment to love and to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable.

For the nation’s bishops, the continued injustice of abortion remains the “preeminent priority.” Preeminent does not mean “only.” We have deep concerns about many threats to human life and dignity in our society. But as Pope Francis teaches, we cannot stay silent when nearly a million unborn lives are being cast aside in our country year after year through abortion.

Abortion is a direct attack on life that also wounds the woman and undermines the family. It is not only a private matter, it raises troubling and fundamental questions of fraternity, solidarity, and inclusion in the human community. It is also a matter of social justice. We cannot ignore the reality that abortion rates are much higher among the poor and minorities, and that the procedure is regularly used to eliminate children who would be born with disabilities.

I don’t think Archbishop Gomez’s statement will matter very much to the Dodgers. The alphabet people have a lot more power in Los Angeles than the Catholic Church. However, as a Catholic, I find it encouraging that a statement as strong as Gomez’ was issued, considering that several parishes in that archdiocese are known to be “gay” parishes. The fact that Archbishop Gomez took a very public stance on this travesty will encourage priests and lay organizations to stand up. It may mean little today, but of such small acts can come seismic change; “one, on God’s side, is a majority.”