Dear Bishop Brom of San Diego

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Romans 12:19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.

Luke 6:27-28 But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 2bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Luke 6:36-37 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Matthew 5:1-12 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 6:9-15 9 This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 1your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matt 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

Matt 22:38-39 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. This is the first and greatest commandment.

Matt 25:40 The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

And from the Order of Mass: Sign of Peace:

Priest: Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom where you live for ever and ever.

Courtesy of Un Poeta Loco (and Jesus Christ): Read the rest of this post...

Friday night open thread

Still pissed about that church in San Diego. We need to coordinate a massive response. Ideas? Read the rest of this post...

Catholic Church gave convicted priest-pedophile full funeral after raping 150 kids

So, let me get this straight. Racy advertising, no Catholic funeral. Rape 150 children, full Catholic honors.

Friday, August 29, 2003
Defrocked priest buried in Brookline
BOSTON (MA)
Boston Herald

by Eric Convey
Friday, August 29, 2003

John J. Geoghan was laid to rest yesterday in a traditional Roman Catholic funeral rite.

Priests and nuns were heavily represented among the two dozen or so mourners who attended the Mass at Holy Name parish in West Roxbury, the Geoghan family church. Geoghan's sister, Catherine, was also there.

An unidentified representative of Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley attended, said the Rev. Christopher Coyne, a spokesman for the archdiocese.

``People from within the Catholic community are reaching out to Cathy,'' Coyne said ``The most important thing when a Christian dies is that the community prays that he or she is sped to heaven.''

Monsignor George F. Carlson, pastor of Holy Name, celebrated the funeral Mass.

Read the rest of this post...

San Diego Catholic diocese smears dead gay man

"[San Diego diocese representative Rodrigo] Valdivia could not recall any examples of other cases in which the diocese has invoked the canon to deny funeral rites to Catholics." - AP

So much for not speaking ill of the dead.

The SD Catholic church says that apparently our anger is part of an "organized campaign" to advance our "agenda." I think that's bigot code for "gay agenda." So, with the man's funeral happening today (I believe), the church is lashing out to smear his name. Of course, their smear is hardly smear-worthy, and downright laughable.

Their press release, issued today:

Date: March 18, 2005
From: Rodrigo Valdivia, Chancellor
Re: Statement on McCusker Funeral

We have become aware that an organized campaign is distorting the action of the Bishop in order to advance its agenda and to silence those whose moral convictions are at variance with its own.

Once again, in order to avoid public scandal, John McCusker was denied a funeral in a Catholic church or chapel in the Diocese of San Diego because of his business activities which were contrary to Sacred Scripture and the moral teaching of the Church. The Bishop acted as he did so that the faithful would not be misled and erroneously conclude that the Church condones activities such as those included in the businesses of Mr. McCusker.

It is a mistake to interpret this pastoral action as a condemnation of Mr. McCusker. He should be in our prayers for the blessing of eternal life.

Really?

Putting aside for a moment the fact that the church could simply issue a statement saying "funerals don't mean we approve of everything the funeralee has done in life," they're now telling us that a church funeral means the church condones everything that person has done in his life, or at least everything in his business life?

Well that's fascinating. So, anyone who hasn't had a pure business life and/or personal life (let's face it, they'll hardly limit this to your business life) will not get a Catholic funeral because to give them such a funeral would mean the church was condoning their wrongful behavior. So, other than the Pope, who I hear is infallible, who does that leave who has led a pristine life and can therefore be buried by the church?

Would a funeral for Donald Rumsfeld, were he departed and Catholic, mean the church was condoning the deaths of thousands of Iraqis, so they wouldn't permit it? Would Martha Stewart be off the ticket because she's a convicted criminal, and the church can't condone crime? And I'm hoping that every Catholic who's had a divorce is now not getting a funeral, since we know the church doesn't condone that. And condoms and other birth control - use 'em and you're not getting buried. And anyone who's had premarital sex. And then there's masturbation... Ok, so none of us are getting buried.

Or does the Catholic diocese of San Diego pick and choose who they selectively smear after death, holding out a special place in their heart for the homos?

And then the San Diego diocese follows this release with this explanation of why they denied this man a funeral. Get this.

1. His advertising slogan for his bar included "Real Men, No Rules!" and "Tired of Playing with Boys, Come Play with Men!"

So now the Catholic church won't give you a funeral if you ever have any kind of racy advertising. I guess that means ABC won't be getting a Catholic funeral after that Desperate Housewives ad, nor will that football player or the blond lady (or anybody else on the show), nor the entire FCC since they chose not to fine the network. And what does the Catholic Churchlady think of car ads with hot bikini-clad models? Is just the model not getting a Catholic funeral, or are we also banning the car manufacturer, the ad company, the television network who airs it, and the guy or lesbian who watches the commercial at home and enjoys it?

2. Porn stars were scheduled to appear at an event at the bar.

Wonder how the church feels about bars (or airlines) whose sole purpose is for heterosexuals to look at women's enormous breasts while eating chicken wings? Or for that matter, bars whose only purpose is to help straight men find women they can fuck? I just want to know so we can all plan our funeral arrangements accordingly.

And their final reason for not giving this man a funeral:

3. A porn video was allegedly filmed at one of the bars.

What do they do, run a friggin background check on you before you can get a Catholic funeral? "I'm sorry, Mr. Maloney, your wife only received a 573 on her moral credit rating - and as you know, the church requires a 575 or above for a burial. Perhaps you can try the Episcopalians down the block, we hear they like sluts."

And for the record, what does that background check say about date rape, pedophilia, and enabling both of them?

And note how the diocese said in their release that "in order to avoid public scandal, John McCusker was denied a funeral." To avoid a public scandal? According to what I've read, the guy was LOVED by the public. The head of the San Diego business community praised the guy. There's been an outpouring of emotion from his friends and family across the city. And, let's face it, this is hardly a faith run by men who go out of their way to avoid actions that could lead to public scandals. So, what exact "public scandal" was going to ensue? In fact, the scandal that has ensued is one of outrage against the church for their own actions. If anything, this proves the church was wrong on that count alone.

Finally, the SD diocese said the other day that they couldn't give the details of why they turned McCusker down for a funeral, "for legal reasons." Well, those legal reasons sure dried up in a hurry when the church felt it was getting too much criticism. Then again, the San Diego Bishop is a proven liar (see the article I cite in the post a bit below), so who knows what to believe from these people.

For shame. Then again, look at the abysmal way the Catholic Church leadership has handled the rape of scores of young boys and girls. Is anyone really that surprised that they would handle the death of a gay man any better?

(PS And let's not even talk about Bob Dole and those Viagra commercials.) Read the rest of this post...

Friday Catt Blogging

As longtime visitors know, I have no cats. So my role in the blogging tradition of posting pictures of your cats on Fridays is to post pictures of my orchids. Or, in today's case, pictures of my pictures of orchids (since I don't have anything new in bloom).



This is a pic I took at a recent orchid show at the Smithsonian. It's some sort of Cattleya hybrid. Often these start off one color and end up another - for example, this one could lose the red in its petals over time (though I'm not sure about this specific plant). Catts, in principle, aren't that hard to grow, but you need a LOT of sunlight to get them to flower. I, however, have found that catts do not love me.

Enjoy. Read the rest of this post...

San Diego Bishop who refused funeral for gay man settled high-priced sex suit

My oh my.

The Bishop settled a sexual abuse lawsuit for $100,000, while claiming that an investigation proved his innocence. Yet, rather than use that rock-solid evidence to prove his innocence and clear his good name, and the good names of other high-ranking clergy, he and the other clergy chose to pay off the young man who accused them of forcing him to have sex with them. Yes, young man.

Now, we have no way of knowing if Bishop Brom did or didn't in essence commit date rape on this young man. You'll have to look at the facts and try to decide that for yourself. But it is interesting, in the context of him refusing a funeral for a gay man.

We report, you decide.

From the Dallas Morning News in 2002:

BISHOP ROBERT BROM

He is one of about a dozen U.S. bishops who have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent years. Catholic leaders in Minnesota, where Bishop Brom once headed the Diocese of Duluth, have paid a settlement to a former seminarian who alleged that he was coerced into sex.

A spokeswoman for the bishop recently told The Boston Globe that "minimal insurance" money was paid to the accuser, who agreed to retract his claim. Two archbishops who helped negotiate the deal in the mid-1990s said the man received roughly $100,000. The man alleged that in the 1980s, Bishop Brom and other high-ranking clergymen pressured him and other young men to have sex at a seminary in Winona, Minn. Bishop Brom has denied any sexual misconduct and has said that an investigation disproved what the former seminarian "thought he remembered."

In San Diego after Bishop Brom took over, questions arose about how his top aides handled the 1993 case of the Rev. Emmanuel Omemaga, who was accused of raping a 14-year-old girl after her grandfather's funeral, tying her to a bed and photographing her in bondage. The diocese has said it suspended the priest when it first learned of the accusation, then let him go home to the Philippines on vacation.

Police, meanwhile, began investigating and asked a priest who was one of the bishop's aides to alert them immediately upon Father Omemaga's return. "He agreed to do so" but instead waited five days, according to a police report. At that point, according to the report, the aide left a message saying that he had told the wanted man to call police and to consult an attorney. Father Omemaga vanished and remains the target of an arrest warrant. The aide has said he did everything he could do to bring his fellow priest to justice.

I did a little more digging on the good Bishop and found that whether or not he's a date rapists, he sure sounds like a liar.From the SD Union-Tribune, July 4, 2002 (via Lexis):

Less than three weeks after Bishop Robert Brom assured parishioners that no large settlements have been paid out in priest abuse cases since he took over 12 years ago, the Catholic diocese has acknowledged that a man who said he was molested as a boy received $250,000 in December.... Neither Brom nor Bernadeane Carr, the diocese's spokeswoman, would answer questions yesterday. "We don't have any further comments," Carr said.

Read the rest of this post...

San Diego reacts to Catholic Church banning funeral of gay man

If you're in or near San Diego on Monday, consider attending the meeting. And spread the word. The letter below is from the CEO of the LGBT community center in San Diego. Thanks, JOHN

Dear Friends,

Today the San Diego community mourned together. Hundreds of members of the entire community joined the family of John McCusker to remember him and to honor and celebrate his life.

Like many of you, I was surprised and deeply saddened by John’s death. Thirty-one years were too few. His smile and energy will be deeply missed. Bearing witness today for John’s family and friends was both heartbreaking and inspiring. The outpouring of his friends’ love and support and the pride of a family for their beloved son was incredible.

The service and compassion of St. Paul’s ministry brought many of us to tears. The philosophy of St. Paul’s was posted for all to read as we entered – “St. Paul’s Cathedral is a place where diversity is respected, encouraged, and protected. All persons who enter this sacred space enter with the promise that they will be free to be who they are and what God intended them to be … If you are visting…, please know you are granted immunity from the painful ravages of religious bigotry and intolerance. St. Paul’s exists for people of all religious faiths and beliefs and for those who have yet to discover the direction of their own spiritual journey.”

A powerful statement of faith, love, compassion and comfort.

John will be buried today. And today, we grieve with his family and loved ones and offer up the dignity and respect John’s family and close friends deserve.

And on Monday, we will gather together again with a different purpose – this time at The Center – to discuss our community’s response to Bishop Robert Brom’s outrageous, disrespectful and insensitive act. The meeting will take place at 6pm.

By now, many of you have read the news coverage about Bishop Brom’s decision to deny John a funeral in the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, which meant that none of the 98 Catholic churches in San Diego or Imperial Counties were allowed to provide services for John and his family.

Bishop Brom’s actions – shutting a family out of its own church – is an act few members of the faith community, or even the community of man, can understand. It is staggering to me that any faith leader would deny any parents – especially devoutly Catholic parents like the McCuskers – the opportunity to memorialize their son. It is a deep violation of every principle of dignity and compassion. For Bishop Brom to single out and politicize – for whatever personal reason – the death of a man who gave so much to his family, friends and community is simply unconscionable.

While we grieve today, the Bishop’s act of inhumanity will not go unchallenged. Please join us on Monday as we develop a response worthy of the dignity of John’s life, and that of our community.

For more information about the meeting, you can contact Shawn Ingram at The Center at (619)692-2077. You can also call the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation at (619) 291-3383; the Greater San Diego Business Association (GSDBA) at (619) 296-4543; or City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez at (619) 692-1967.

Sincerely,

Dr. Delores A. Jacobs
Chief Executive Officer
The San Diego LGBT Community Center
http://www.thecentersd.org

Read the rest of this post...

The Sanctity of Marriage, Indeed

Isn't it interesting how quickly the far-right's campaign to control gay marriage has turned into a campaign BY THE SAME PEOPLE to control YOUR marriage.

From bioethicist Art Caplan, PhD:

Remember the recent debate about gay marriage and the sanctity of the bond between husband and wife? Nearly all of those now trying to push their views forward about what should be done with Terri Schiavo told us that marriage is a sacred trust between a man and a woman. Well, if that is what marriage means then it is very clear who should be making the medical decisions for Terri — her husband.

From Martin Niemoeller, Berlin Lutheran pastor arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Dachau concentration camp in 1938; the Allied forces freed him seven years later:

"In Germany, the Nazis first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Sci-fi Friday is around the bend. Geeks of the world, unite. Read the rest of this post...

Doonesbury to continue GannonGuckert theme through next week

E&P; reports.

The strips so far:

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Today Read the rest of this post...

Creepy Congress

Is it just me, or did Congress seem especially creepy this week? And, I am not talking about just the usual "Tom DeLay is Corrupt" and "Destroy the Environment" creepy.

Dedicating a whole day to steroids just seemed weird to me. Okay, so I am not a huge sports fan and I am not a parent. But it seems to me, if you don't want your kids doing steroids, it's something you need to talk to your kids about. That sounds like a family matter. Does it really rise to the level of an urgent national issue for Congress? (And would the steroid ban apply to people who work on the Hill? Just asking.)

Then, there is the Schiavo case. The way Tom DeLay and his crowd have become apoplectic over this case is bizarre. This week, we see that the GOP hypocrites are willing to throw the sanctity of marriage under the bus to score political points. DeLay, Hastert, Frist...the whole gang of them...are overruling the wishes of the husband for his wife. I guess they want to micro-manage every relationship, not just gay ones.

The GOP is getting more and more involved in the day to day lives of Americans. Nothing is off limits. It really is creepy. Read the rest of this post...

Why does Brookings hate diversity?

Another brouhaha has been developing over a blogging panel the Brookings Institution is holding next week. On the conservative side they have Andrew Sullivan. On the liberal side they have Wonkette. Digby has a problem with that.

More on this here, and here.

I'll let the links speak for themselves, though I do agree with them. I love Wonkette, think she's absolutely hysterical. But she's not a counterpart to Andrew Sullivan, and I suspect she'd be the first to say it. She's a humorist. He's a conservative attack dog (and a friend of mine :-) Dennis Miller vs Wonkette, yes. But Andrew Sullivan? Read the rest of this post...

Blogger sucks open thread

UPDATE: The nice folks at Google, who own Blogger, promise me they've got some engineers working on this, so cross your fingers. At least they're trying.

Yes, still trying to get the blog fixed. Read the rest of this post...

Why does Brookings hate diversity?

Another brouhaha has been developing over a blogging panel the Brookings Institution is holding next week. On the conservative side they have Andrew Sullivan. On the liberal side they have Wonkette. Digby has a problem with that.

More on this here, and here.

I'll let the links speak for themselves, though I do agree with them. I love Wonkette, think she's absolutely hysterical. But she's not a counterpart to Andrew Sullivan, and I suspect she'd be the first to say it. She's a humorist. He's a conservative attack dog (and a friend of mine :-) Dennis Miller vs Wonkette, yes. But Andrew Sullivan? Read the rest of this post...

Senator Reid tells the FEC not to regulate the Internet

Not sure if you'd been following, but there was a big brouhaha a few weeks ago over the possibility that the FEC was going to regulate blogs, and the like, as political contributions. It was a big mess, people flipped out, and the FEC was forced to back down, kind of.

Well, Senator Reid, our newest favoritest Senator, has written the FEC to let them know he introduced legislation to make sure they keep their hands off the Internets.

The letter is here.

The legislation is here.

Like I said, I'm increasingly impressed by what I see from Senator Reid. I don't think I ever said that about Tom Daschle. Read the rest of this post...

Friday Morning Open Thread

It's been a long week....chat away... Read the rest of this post...