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New Pope In Rome, Same Old Anti-Gay Focus From The Catholic Church In America

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Pope Francis gave hope to millions of progressives worldwide, including the LGBT community and our allies, that the Roman Catholic Church would change into the religious institution it is supposed to be: one focused on helping the poor, the needy, the sick, and the elderly, and spreading the message of God’s love across the world; in short, what America’s Catholics expect of their Church. But in reality, little has changed, at least here at home in the U.S.

The vast majority of America’s Catholics support same-sex marriage and the civil rights of LGBT people — even at a rate higher than the average American. They also do not see same-sex relations as sin.

Yet Cardinal Timothy Dolan (image, top,) who is the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Archbishop of New York — making him the highest-ranking Catholic in America — has worked to distance himself from the LGBT community, and made it clear how incredibly uncomfortable he is with LGBT people and embracing us as part of his flock.

Dolan yesterday appeared on his weekly Tuesday Sirius radio show, telling tales and stories, laughing, and joking with comedian Jim Gaffigan. It was certainly a heartwarming show.

But the Cardinal knew he had to say something about the dramatic increase in anti-LGBT hate crimes in New York City — his home — this month and this year.

Why?

Because he had said absolutely nothing, even after the hate crime murder of Mark Carson, a gay man shot to death literally for being gay.

The New Civil Rights Movement and other LGBT activists, including Scott Wooledge of Memeographs and Joseph Amodeo via the Huffington Post, have been asking why the nation’s number one Catholic had been uninterested in denouncing the violence against LGBT people.

So yesterday, at the very end of his radio show, Cardinal Dolan mustered the courage to make mention of the violence.

“You look at even the violence in our own city with some homosexuals who have recently been beaten and killed,” Dolan said. “I mean that’s just awful, that flies in the face of divine justice. Every human life deserves dignity and respect, right? Anytime life is attacked we all suffer.”

LOOK: Cardinal Dolan Spends A Few Seconds Mentioning Violence Against ‘Some Homosexuals’

Dolan said the very least he could have, just so he could be on the record as “denouncing” anti-gay violence given the nine incidents of anti-gay violence in NYC this month alone.

Hardly a denunciation. It took up all of 19 seconds.

And then the Cardinal launched into comments about Memorial Day.

Compare Cardinal Dolan’s “that’s just awful” that “some homosexuals…have recently been beaten and killed” comment with that of one of the nation’s leading anti-gay professionals.

“We condemn in the strongest possible way the murder of a gay man in New York by a killer who apparently hurled anti-gay insults at him moments before the killing,” National Organization For Marriage president Brain Brown’s statement last week reads, posted to NOM’s blog days after the shooting-death murder of Mark Carson. Brown added:

This senseless act cannot be condoned in America or anywhere, and we urge that the perpetrator be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our heart goes out to the family of the victim, and we hold them in our prayers. While this killing appears to have no connection to the current debate about redefining marriage, there is no room for violence toward any American — whether they support traditional marriage or not. No person should be subjected to violence because they are gay or lesbian or because they believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. There is no place for violence, period.

Last summer, when the Family Research Council was attacked by a lone gunman who put a bullet in the arm of the FRC’s security guard, within hours more than two dozen LGBT organizations rushed to condemn publicly, and in writing, the violence.

So, Cardinal Dolan’s tepid and offhand remarks, as much as they are appreciated as an important first step, and far from sufficient.

If Dolan truly wishes to condemn hate-motivated violence against the LGBT members of his church, and against all LGBT people, he will have to say more than “that’s just awful,” and he’ll have to stop issuing directives to his Bishops telling them to preach against same-sex marriage and LGBT relationships too.

LOOK: Cardinal Dolan Calls For Anti-LGBT Sermons In Shadow Of Violent Anti-Gay Hate Crime Wave

Earlier this month, Dolan through his USCCB issued a directive to be shared with all Catholics, calling the Prop 8 and DOMA same-sex marriage cases before the Supreme Court the “’Roe v. Wade’ of marriage.”

And he called on all Catholics to “pray, fast, and sacrifice” so the Court would not grant civil rights to loving same-sex couples.

Dolan cares about the family, and families, but not those of same-sex couples. He is a supporter of immigration reform, but not of including protections for families headed by LGBT people.

In fact, in his directive, Dolan stated that “redefining marriage serves no one’s rights, least of all those of children.”

If there’s one thing most people can agree upon, it is that marriage strengthens families and provides safety and security for children — regardless of their parents’ gender(s).

Just a few weeks ago, Cardinal Dolan, or his representatives, used the NYPD to prohibit from Sunday worship services gay Catholics by barring their entry into NYC’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the iconic home of the Roman Catholic Church in New York.

Why?

Their hands were dirty.

Cardinal Dolan had written a blog post demanding LGBT Catholics wash their hands — presumably of our bad behaviors, like entering into loving same-sex relationships and marriages — and Dolan refused to allow a small group of LGBT Catholics and their allies entrance into St. pats with their “dirty hands,” unless they washed them first.

In March, Cardinal Dolan said the Catholic Church wants “happiness” for same-sex couples but same-sex married couples are entitled only to “friendship” and not “sexual love.”

Last year, Dolan attacked same-sex marriage equality and abortion in his closing prayer while an invited guest at the Democratic National Convention.

Cardinal Dolan has been actively engaged in opposing the civil rights of LGBT people. It’s time for him to see us as human beings, and God’s children first.

Michelangelo Signorile invited me to speak on his SiriusXM OutQ radio show this afternoon, and he wondered why with a change at the top — with Pope Francis focusing publicly on the more traditional role of the Church as a savior for the sick, the poor, the needy, the elderly — if Cardinal Dolan is “freelancing” and acting on his own.

Signorile, a veteran journalist who has served the LGBT community for years, wondered why Dolan issued the directive to “pray, fast, and sacrifice” in the hopes of a Supreme Court upholding Prop 8 and DOMA.

Who knows what the Catholic Church is thinking. But we do know what the vast majority of America’s Catholics are thinking, and it looks nothing like what Cardinal Dolan is.

 

Related:

Gay Catholic Leaders Weigh In On Use Of NYPD To Bar Gay Catholics From St. Pat’s Cathedral

Cardinal Dolan Uses NYPD To Bar Gay Catholics From Sunday Worship In St. Patrick’s Cathedral

Cardinal Dolan: Same-Sex Couples Entitled To ‘Friendship’ But Not ‘Sexual Love’ (Video)

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Trump Says Progressive Dems Will ‘Attack Christianity’: ‘They’re Animals!’

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President Donald Trump teased his upcoming Faith and Freedom Coalition speech on Friday with a long screed fear-mongering that progressive Democrats will “attack all Religions, but in particular, Christianity.”

Trump posted the warning to his social media platform, Truth Social shortly before he was scheduled to speak to the conservative advocacy organization at its annual conference.

“I will be speaking at 1:30 P.M. to The Faith and Freedom Coalition, and one of the Statements I will be making, perhaps the most important of them all, concerns the recent Election of Communists in our Country. Communism is very easy to sell. I’d be the Greatest Communist in History. I’d give free rent, free houses, free food, everything is free. Unfortunately, after two or three years, the Country where this is taking place would fail. It always does, and then you’ll start living in squalor. There will be no food, there will be no housing, there will be no Military, there will be no nothing,” Trump wrote.

READ MORE: ‘Rededicating the Country to God’: Trump White House Hosts Evangelical Christian Festival

“You’ll be Third World every way, and everyone will suffer or die. I’m sorry to say, but Assassinations of those who oppose them is a very important element of their Ideology. They’re animals! In many cases, not smart but, in some cases, they are,” he continued, railing against the Democratic party establishment for not “fighting back” against them, saying establishment Dems are not “smart enough or tough enough” to block progressive Democrats from winning primary elections or serving if elected.

“If they fought them the way they fight Republicans, or me, they’d be victorious, but they don’t have the courage to do so,” Trump said.

Referring to progressives that have recently won primaries—most notably in New York where the three candidates endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani trounced establishment Democrats this Tuesday—Trump said they were not “social Dumocrats” but “hard core, godless Communists.”

Of the three candidates, while Claire Valdez does not appear to have discussed her religious affiliation, Brad Lander is Jewish and Darializa Avila Chevalier is a convert to Islam, according to the Guardian.

Trump called the candidates the “most serious threat to our Country since its existence 250 years ago.”

“These ruthless Communists will attack all Religions but, in particular, Christianity – They always do. All Communist Countries attack Religions violently. As you know, we recently struck Nigeria, and largely ended the slaughter of their Great Christian population. They know that if they go further, the attack will be far greater and, in that, they don’t want to get involved. I am saving Christians throughout the World, even though we are not in those various Countries, by hitting these Terrorists violently and hard. They will close your Churches, they will kill your people. This is what they’re about. This is the Greatest Threat to our Country since its Founding 250 years ago!” Trump wrote.

progressive dems truth social 6-26 full text

Trump ordered strikes in Nigeria last year after accusing its government of not stopping the persecution of Christians, according to The Guardian. At the time he accused Islamic State militants in the country of “targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!”

Nigeria’s government has countered claims that extremists are primarily targeting Christians, but rather people of all faiths. While some clashes have been along religious lines, like between Muslim herders and Christian farmers, the Guardian reported, the skirmishes have been over land and water rather than religion. Likewise, though priests have been kidnapped in Nigeria, the cause is related more to money than religious persecution, according to the Guardian.

“Terrorist violence in any form, whether directed at Christians, Muslims or other communities, remains an affront to Nigeria’s values and to international peace and security,” the Nigerian Foreign Ministry said at the time of Trump’s strikes.

The Faith and Freedom Coalition is holding its Road to Majority Conference at the Washington Hilton Friday. This marks the first time Trump has returned to the Hilton since the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this year. During that dinner, a shooter was stopped by Secret Service agents from carrying out an alleged assassination attempt against Trump, according to The Hill.

Image via Reuters

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Trump Threatens ‘100% TARIFF’ on Countries Who Levy Digital Services Tax on U.S. Companies

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President Donald Trump used his favorite threat, a tariff, against countries that levy a digital service tax against American companies.

Trump made the threat on his social media platform Truth Social on Friday.

“Numerous European Countries have been discussing the imminent implementation of a Digital Services Tax on American Companies. Some of these Countries are close to actually doing this. Please let this statement serve to represent that any Country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any and all Goods sent to the United States of America. This TARIFF will supersede Trade Deals made with the Country, whether implemented, signed, or not. Additionally, the 100% TARIFF will be immediately imposed, if they proceed. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote.

READ MORE: Senate Dems Give Trump Administration 90 Days to Refund Tariffs

This is not the first time Trump has threatened a tariff over a digital services tax. Earlier this month, he threatened French exporters with a 100% tariff on wine and champagne.

“I asked [French President Emmanuel Macron] not to charge American companies, and if they do, I have no choice but to charge a 100% tariff on all champagnes and all wines coming out of France,” Trump told The New York Post. “All he has to do is get rid of the sales tax, and he wouldn’t have that kind of pressure.”

Digital service taxes are a way to tax income on companies without a physical presence in a country, but do business there via the internet, according to Public Citizen. It’s a tax on gross revenue earned from users in a specific country. As an example, if someone in Freedonia buys a book off Amazon.com, a DST would cause Amazon to pay income tax to Freedonia based off that sale. (Amazon does not have a presence in Freedonia on account of it being a made-up country from the film Duck Soup.)

A number of countries have or are considering implementing digital service taxes, and not just in Europe. Canada had one until recently, but it was repealed earlier this year. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has been organizing a proposal, Pillar One, which would set up a international DST across its more than 130 member nations.

Though Pillar One has not yet been enacted, a number of European countries have implemented DSTs, including Poland, Hungary, Denmark and Portugal. Many other countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Spain, Italy and Austria have DSTs that will be repealed should Pillar One become law, according to the Tax Foundation. In France, for example, big tech companies pay 3% based on gross revenue earned from the country, earning the nation $700 million last year, according to Quartz.

Image via Reuters

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GOP Rep. Jim Jordan Says He Hopes U.S. ‘Hockey Team’ Wins World Cup

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Unlike many folks around the world, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) clearly doesn’t have World Cup fever—he just said he hopes America’s hockey team can take home the cup.

In a clip surfaced by journalist Aaron Rupar, Jordan made the comment as a button for a Friday morning Newsmax report about the House Judiciary Committee threatening to hold the Southern Poverty Law Center in contempt.

“Hi, Chairman. Wednesday night, 8 o’clock Team USA. What are our chances? How far can we go?” Newsmax host Shaun Kraisman asked.

“Well, I hope we go all the way to the championship and win it. I mean, golly, we’re on a run. Look at the hockey team, look at the UFC fight… where the American beat the Spanish guy in the main event. I mean, we’re on a roll, so let’s hope the hockey team can do the same,” Jordan said.

READ MORE: ‘Threats and Intimidation’: House Republicans Publicly Blast Jim Jordan’s ‘Tactics’

“World Cup, baby, I’ve got the fever. I know Chairman does too,” Kraisman replied.

Jordan appeared on the show to talk about the House Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, threatening to hold the Southern Poverty Law Center in contempt. He says the anti-hate research and activist group has not turned over documents relating to sources embedded in hate groups.

“The committee has made several good-faith efforts to work with your counsel to obtain documents responsive to the subpoena,” Jordan, wrote in a letter to SPLC’s incoming president and CEO Ryan Haygood, according to right-wing news outlet the Daily Signal. “To date, the committee has still not received any such documents. Therefore, the SPLC must promptly produce all materials responsive to the committee’s subpoena as soon as possible, but not later than 5:00 p.m. on July 9, 2026.”

The Trump administration has gone after the SPLC, alleging that it has manufactured extremist rallies and funded hate groups via its policy of paying informants. The DOJ has accused the organization of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements, according to CNN. The SPLC denies these charges.

“We’ve already asserted in our filings that we did not lie to our donors, that we did not fund any hate groups,” Bryan Fair, interim president and CEO told the House Judiciary Committee earlier this month. “The Department of Justice knew that we were working with them.”

Image via Reuters

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