It's all about them

Gays cannot experience persecution. Only Christians can. In case you haven't noticed this trend in the comments of Christian loons, I give you the Roman Catholic church: (Bolding is mine.)

The U.S. bishops are facing an even greater challenge within, even as they move forward as the leading religious voice advocating for legal protections for those who object to gay marriage.

In the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Va., Bishop Paul Loverde held a Mass and organized a lecture for the U.S. bishops' annual religious freedom commemoration, called "Religious Liberty For How Long? How to Prepare Spiritually for the Coming Persecution."

Only they can experience persecution. Got it? Good. And what is the nature of this persecution? Why, the fact that they can't persecute gays with all the vitriol and hatred they used to direct at them. It's downright unfair! Oh, the poor dears. It really makes you feel for them, doesn't it? If only they could go back to the good old days of hating gays, openly and freely, as god wants them to.

Persecution. It's only for Christians these days. Hahahaha. Torquemada, anyone? Now, those were the good old days.

UPDATE: TBogg did this much better than I did. Go read it. 

A bit more on Kurtz

Today we're hearing more about Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, the new head of the US Conference on Catholic Bishops (CCB). It ain't good.

The newly elected leader of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops says he will draw on his years as a pastor while seeking to reconcile Pope Francis' message of a welcoming church with the conservative ideology of American bishops. 

Of course, "welcoming" and "conservative" don't belong in the same sentence. The CCB might as well be the Christian Taliban. You won't hear anything progressive from these guys. But at least AP stated in print that the American bishops' group has a "conservative ideology". 

The article quotes a pastor who says of Kurtz, "He's got a gift for reaching out." Immediately afterward, the article states:

But Kurtz has also used his time as Louisville Archbishop to take strong stands on the kind of hot-button cultural issues the new pope says have occupied too much of the church's focus. Since coming to Louisville, he has joined praying protesters in front of an abortion clinic, donated $1,000 of archdiocese money to a same-sex marriage repeal effort in Maine and joined other Catholic leaders in denouncing a federal requirement for employers to provide health insurance that covers artificial contraceptives. 

In other words, he's a dyed-in-the-wool Catholic wingnut. It seems clear that the bishops' group purposely elected a caveman to oppose the new pope's will. They will not succumb to liberal theology. That is what I see from the appointment of Kurtz (and DiNardo as VP).

Short translation -- the bishops won't go gently into that lavender night. In fact, they'll kick and scream. What's your take on all this?

Two wingnuts chosen to lead Catholic bishops group

So the evil US Conference of Catholic Bishops has a new leader. (I heard Timmy Dolan melted into a puddle at the news, and was wiped up with a ton of Bounty paper towels. Then they tossed him in the garbage. Good riddance.)

BALTIMORE — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday elected Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., a prelate who has earned a reputation as a consensus-seeker, president of their conference on the first ballot. 

This is not good news -- but it could have been worse. They also said this:

In a closely watched decision, the bishops elected Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as vice president from a slate of 10 candidates. In the runoff vote, they passed over Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, a razor-sharp writer who often weighs in on politics from a markedly conservative point of view. 

"Markedly conservative view" is putting it mildly. Chaput is one of the most anti-gay priests in the United States. He is truly evil, a creature with a dried, blackened lump for a heart. The reason this is important is that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops almost always elects the vice-president to replace the president, when his term is over. So Chaput could have been next in line. But it's not time to say "Phew!" The actual appointees are clearly damaged goods. I don't think gays or Pope Francis will be very happy with these choices. Here's a peek at DiNardo's anti-abortion activities:

Catholic Cardinal Daniel DiNardo joined a chorus of abortion opponents asking Gov. Rick Perry to call a second special session after a filibuster Tuesday night killed Senate Bill 5.

“I talked to our Texas Catholic Conference about a week ago and I was under the impression the votes were there,” DiNardo told the Houston Chronicle. “I was very disappointed when I woke up.”

That's because Wendy Davis' 11-hour filibuster smacked DiNardo in the chin. And he's all-in with the crazy Catholics who think that ObamaCare violates their precious ethics by forcing them to buy a condom for employees now and then. He sounds like a crazy person. Here's a quote:

“Never before in our US History has the Federal Government forced citizens to directly purchase what violates our beliefs. At issue here as our President of the Conference stated it this past Friday, is the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for conscience and religious liberty.”

Reuters described the election of Kurtz and DiNardo thusly: "U.S. Catholic bishops elected two centrist conservatives as new leaders on Tuesday". I guess that says it all. You already know that "conservative" means terrible things. But "centrist" isn't a good term either. It just means you're a nitwit who can't tell right from wrong, so you chew your cud in the middle and do nothing. Both these guys are Bozo's. Let's move on to the president. Here's a quote from Kurtz:

In remarks to reporters, Kurtz discussed the bishops' support of the "sanctity" of traditional marriage, the protection of the unborn and the importance of helping the poor and immigrants. He also connected moving people out of poverty with the strength of the family.

Sigh. Another Catholic wingnut. So much for hope. The Dark Age of Catholicism in America is set to continue and continue and...