The Funny Papers

Catholic Charities: Adoption Services 'Imperiled' By Civil Union Legislation

So, yesterday Colorado legislators sent a Civil Union bill to the governor for signature. Nice, yes, but I am not a fan of Civil Unions as they seem very marriage-lite to me, like crumbs from the Straights Only table, meant to placate The Gays so maybe, just maybe, we won’t ask for full equality.

Now, before you all go crazy, I understand that passing a Civil Unions bill can be a step toward full marriage equality, it’s just that it still strikes me as less than: Oh no, we’re not “married,” were “civilly united.”

Doesn’t have the same ring to it, you know? But, this post isn’t about Colorado or Civil Unions or even my personal opinion of either. It’s about those religious adoption agencies—and I’m looking especially at you, Catholic Charities—that began wondering how the new legislation would affect their religious beliefs, and how they might still be able to discriminate against The Gays.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Denver expressed “disappointment” in the Colorado Legislature, stating that if signed into law, the bill “may threaten the policies which guide us in the vital work to find families for Colorado’s children in need.”

See, because they might have to allow children to be adopted by gay couples, and we all know The Gays can’t be trusted with children. There’s indoctrination and pedophilia and …. Oh, wait, no, that the Catholic Church and their handling of children.

The new Civil Union does not provide exceptions to religious institutions wishing to withhold adoptions based on sexual orientation, a decision that House Speaker Mark Ferrandino, said would be “discriminatory.” Ferrandino sponsored the bill and is caring for a foster daughter with his longtime partner in hopes of adopting her—one of more than 650 children currently seeking homes in the state’s foster system.

“There are hundreds of LGBT couples who want to raise kids, and these kids who are in the foster system have for some reason been taken away from their biological parents for abuse or neglect. What they need more than anything is a family who loves them and wants to raise them. We should not deny them the opportunity to have two loving parents, be they two women, two men, or a man and a woman.”—Mark Ferrandino

The Reverend Samuel Aqulia, archbishop of Denver, refuted Ferrandino’s stance on religious exemptions, adding that while the Catholic Church “recognizes and affirms the dignity of every human person,” it does not view all relationships as equal.

Which, um, forgive me if I’m wrong, Padre, means you don’t believe in the dignity of every person, I mean, if that person is gay.

“The ability for religious-based institutions to provide foster care and adoption services for Colorado’s children is now dangerously imperiled. Marriage is a stabilizing institution at the foundation of civil society. Religious liberty is a civil rights issue. Both have been grievously harmed.”—The Reverend Samuel Aqulia

How, exactly, is it imperiled? How is keeping children in orphanages and foster care facilities better than allowing them to be adopted by loving couples in a committed relationship who choose to raise, nurture, educate and love a child? How is a gay couple’s parenting style, and skills, any less than those of a heterosexual couple?

::::crickets::::::

Catholic Charities spokeswoman Tracy Murphy has said the group will not announce any concrete decision regarding adoption services in Colorado until the civil unions bill is signed into law, but the group previously threatened to withdraw adoption services to anyone, anyone, in Colorado if the legislation did not include religious exemptions that would allow them to withhold adoptions from gay couples.

Better to punish children, I’m guessing, than to allow a gay couple the joy of parenting. But then that’s what the Catholic Church does; it punishes children by keeping them in foster care, in orphanages, when they are parents willing to take them in; it punishes children by allowing them to be raped and molested by priests who then get passed around and paid off and protected, all the whole a Pope—even new Pope Franky—wears Prada and jewels and sits on a golden throne.

How does that serve children?

Again ….

::::crickets::::

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A Tale Of Two Churches

Out in Illinois, the Catholic Charities of Rockford has announced that they will put an immediate halt to its state-funded foster care program and adoption services on the very day that the new civil unions law takes effect in the state.

Yes, they will no longer be helping children be adopted or placed in foster care, because, god forbid, those children might go to a gay couple. See, the Catholic Church, home to child rapists and their protectors, wants to punish children now, rather than protect them.

Catholic Charities say they are leaving the foster care and adoption business to avoid liability if state law requires them to place children with parents in civil unions--either gay or straight--though we all know too well that they mean just the gay parents. Catholic Charities has no problem with fostering children to straight couples, even straight single people, but they don't want children raised by gay people, or couples, so they'll just stop the programs entirely.

This moronic, bigoted, homophobic, anti-children decision will displace about 350 children and put nearly sixty people out of work.

How effing-christ-like.

Meanwhile, up in St. Cloud Minnesota, the debate over marriage equality is dividing members of the clergy within the United Methodist Church.


At their annual conference in St. Cloud, some 40 Minnesota United Methodist clergy signed a statement saying they would marry any couple who came to them, including same-sex couples.

Reverend Bruce Robbins, of the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, initially said he hoped about a dozen or so of his colleagues might sign the statement, by the number has grown to 40. 

Now, to be fair, Methodist church discipline forbids same-sex marriage, so members of the clergy who perform them could lose their conference membership, or clergy credentials.

But they are making a statement. And so is the Catholic Charities of Rockford. One is following the tent that god is love, the other is saying children should suffer.

 
40 United Methodist Clergy Pledge To Marry Gay Couples
 
Catholic Charities Ends Foster Care, Adoption Services To Avoid Serving Same-Sex Parents

Twenty-Priests Suspended

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced that twenty-one priests have been suspended--suspended, not arrested--from active ministry in connection with accusations that involved sexual abuse or otherwise inappropriate behavior with minors.


Of course, the church did not do this of their own accord, or in the interests of the children who were molested, or, um, behaved with inappropriately, they did this only after a grand jury report was issued, which accused the archdiocese of a widespread cover-up of predatory priests, stretching over decades, and said that as many as 37 priests remained active in the ministry despite credible accusations against them.

Same old, same old, for the church. They claim, and feign, innocence, and keep these pedophiles working, until word gets out to the public, then they act as though they are interested in helping children.

And, of those thirty-seven priests, just 21 were suspended, while three others had already been placed on "administrative" leave after the grand jury report was issued. Five others would have been suspended, but three are no longer active and two are no longer active in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. The eight cases, in the eyes of the church, warranted no further investigation.

So, two priests, suspected of child molestation are 'no longer active' in the Philadelphia Archdiocese? Well, that begs the question, where are they now? Is it just another case of more pedophile priests being moved and shifted and held unaccountable by the Catholic Church for raping children, and behaving "inappropriately" with children?

And to further add insult to injury, for the families of those minors who were violated, the names of the twenty-one suspended priests were not released, drawing the fury of groups representing abuse victims.  Most parishioners won't learn which priests are gone until they show up for services and there's a new face at the altar.

Cardinal Rigali

And worse yet, is the fact that Cardinal Justin Rigali had first responded to the grand jury report by saying that none of the priests listed in the report were still active in the ministry. Wait, what's this? A member of the church lying about pedophile priests?

Color me stunned. And pissed off. But not entirely shocked.

The Catholic Church has been fighting off these scandals for decades and yet they continue to arise. Proof positive that the church has no desire to fix the situation, to have the pedophiles arrested, or to protect the children of their parishioners. The church is solely out to protect its image and its finances.

In the name of god.

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God Bless The Catholic Church

I'm a huge fan of the Catholic Church.

Huge.

See, every time they profess to be doing the work of the Lord, you realize they are nothing more than bigoted self-loathing closet cases who punish the Innocent while working over-time to keep the LGBT community down. They don't believe that condoms are protection from HIV; they spend millions of dollars fighting gay marriage when there are people starving all over the planet; they apparently condone child molestation because their answer to the problem is to move pedophiles from one parish to another; they are not longer in the adoption business in Washington DC, because they might have to allow a ::::gasp:::: homosexual couple the rights to adopt, or even foster parent a child.

I mean, seriously. What's not to love?

Well, let's toss this on the heap and see what it smells like.

Employees at Catholic Charities were told this week that the social services organization will be changing its health coverage so they can avoid offering benefits to same-sex partners of its workers.

Indeed. The "church" doing God's work is out to punish innocent people rather than allowing gay couples the same benefits they offer their opposite-sex couples.

How fucking Christlike.

Starting yesterday, Catholic Charities will no longer offer benefits to spouses of new employees or to spouses of current employees who are not already enrolled in the plan. It's that preexisting condition called homosexuality that's at the root of the change.

The charity's president, and goosestepping asshat, one Edward J. Orzechowski, said, with a straight face no less, "We looked at all the options and implications. This allows us to continue providing services, comply with the city's new requirements and remain faithful to the church's teaching."

Oh, the teachings of the church about punishing Innocent people rather than follow the laws of the land. Those teachings.

God is watching you, Catholic Church, and she is not amused.