The Los Angeles Dodgers recently decided to re-invite a virulently anti-Catholic group to the team's Pride Night event.
This is the same group that had originally been scheduled to receive a community service award but was uninvited for a brief period of time.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Catholic Vote, the Catholic League, and other Christian groups had condemned the original decision, and the team had promptly rescinded the invite.
However, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the ACLU, several Democratic politicians, and the media began accusing the baseball team of bigotry.
In the midst of the uproar, the Los Angeles Angels baseball team issued a public invite of its own to the aforementioned anti-Catholic group.
That’s when the Dodgers re-invited the group and proceeded to issue an apology for having previously uninvited it.
It's puzzling at a minimum that both Los Angeles teams have endorsed a group that has a long history of being dedicated to anti-Catholic activities.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has weighed in, issuing a statement condemning the Dodgers for "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," adding that the invitation to the group "has caused disappointment, concern, anger, and dismay from our Catholic community."
The LA Archdiocese further stated that it "stands against any actions that would disparage and diminish our Christian faith and those who dedicate their lives to Christ."
The decision by the Dodgers also drew the ire of the Twitter account of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
"Our Catholic sisters devote themselves to serving others selflessly. Decent people would not mock & blaspheme them," the archbishop tweeted.
"So we now know what gods the Dodger admin worships. Open desecration & anti-Catholicism is not disqualifying. Disappointing but not surprising. Gird your loins."
CatholicVote has vowed to launch a "barrage" of advertising against the team across Los Angeles and during game broadcasts.
"This is a slap in the face of every Catholic . . . and we will pummel this decision in advertising that the Dodgers can’t ignore," CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement.
"Every advertiser, every season ticket holder, every charity, every fan must speak out against the Dodgers’ decision to promote anti-Catholic hate," Burch added.
He questioned why the Dodgers would honor a group that is, among other descriptors, clearly "anti-Catholic."
This particular group has a fairly long history of mocking and insulting Catholic religious figures, tenets, and symbols.
Antipathy toward Catholic Christians is routinely expressed both directly and indirectly.
The Catholic League has published a report citing numerous examples of bigotry against Catholicism in general and Catholic nuns in particular.
The list includes a sham exorcism, a sham Mass that blasphemes the Lord and Savior of Christianity, a sham Sacrament of Holy Communion, a sham vile version of the Stations of the Cross devotion, a sham mockery of the holy day of Good Friday, and a sham irreverent ridicule of Easter Sunday.
Although he is a professed Catholic, President Joe Biden has said nothing about the debacle.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue is seeking to convince Catholics in the Los Angeles area to skip the Pride Night event scheduled for June 16.
Unfortunately, like so many other things in life, America’s favorite pastime has been politicized.
In the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own," Tom Hanks’s character Jimmy Dugan utters the famous line: "There’s no crying in baseball!"
Well, Jimmy, there’s crying in baseball today.
(A related story may be found here.)
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen's Reports — More Here.
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