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I get that the Catholic Church has their doctrine that defines the faith. But when that doctrine is so utterly cruel and bereft of humanity, it may be time for the Church to do some soul searching. Misguided doctrine needs to be thrown in the trash right along side that eating fish on Friday's thing and requiring the mass be spoken only in Latin.
In the small town of Lewistown, Montana, at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church a new priest has hit the scene determined to clean house. When it came to his attention that two elderly men, parishioners for 11 years deeply involved in the choir had married in Seattle in May of 2013, Father Samuel Spiering was having none of it.
In a committed relationship for the past 30 years, 66 year old Paul Huff and 73 year old Tom Wojtowick explained that their decision to marry was so they might "have the rights of civic protections in our old age." Even though Montana does not recognize their marriage, the Federal Government does and marrying provides them some protections as a result.
The two men were about to be shown exactly why protections are needed while getting a bitter taste of pastoral love at its most heartless in the process.
On August 25th, Father Spiering, Bishop Michael Warfel of the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, and other unnamed officials jumped on a conference call where Wojtowick and Huff were given an ultimatum — agree to sign a "restoration statement" acknowledging the teachings of the church that marriage was intended to be between one man and one woman, or there would be serious consequences for them.
The two gentlemen must truly love their faith and their church, because for deeply personal reasons, they agreed to this nonsense. When they arrived at the church to sign the document, Spiering had further humiliation for the couple up his sleeve. In order to keep receiving communion they would have to agree to get a divorce. The degradation didn't stop there. His last demand was that this couple move their separate ways. They were actually told that in order to not be excommunicated they couldn't even live together anymore.
This was a step too far for Wojtowick and Huff. They have declined the Priest's demands. They were scheduled to meet with Bishop Warfel this evening about the matter, but I have my strong doubts that meeting went much more humanely. In a conversation with the Billings Gazette, Warfel appeared to strongly back Spiering.
“This is not animus against someone who happens to be a homosexual; this issue is the same-sex marriage,” he said. “A lot of people put those two together, and obviously there’s a connection, but it’s not the same thing.”
“As a Catholic bishop I have a responsibility to uphold our teaching of marriage between one man and one woman,” Warfel said. “And I think there’s very solid scriptural teaching on it and our sacred tradition is very strong on it.”
Those teachings leave him little choice, he added.
Bullshit! Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit! Unruly children are no longer stoned to death (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). Shellfish is delicious, on that even Catholics can agree (Leviticus 11:12). And I'll wager my next paycheck that 99% of the asses filling those Sunday pews are covered in at least one poly blend item of clothing (Leviticus 19:19). Do not excuse centuries of institutionalized hatred against gay people by your reluctance to change doctrine and church teaching. It can be and has been done.
The only reason this couple was treated so shamelessly has everything to do with animus. These men wearing robes with little lambs embroidered on them have the power to do good or evil at the very most local of levels. What this couple has endured from their church is just evil and ugly and deeply cruel. No amount of the weight of the history of the Catholic church can change that fact.
Rome, find your heart.
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TOP COMMENTS
September 20, 2014
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From BeninSC:
This fine comment is from first-time Daily Kos commenter ASHOTOFLOVE, about the experience of going to one of the high schools featured in djrez's great rec list diary on Friday about yet another unconscionable conservative attack on public education.
This is a small comment from sillia with a valuable suggestion for the current volcano diaries. It is just one way in which commenters add to the dialogue here on Daily Kos!
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Flagged by Dirtandiron, this comment by integrate plays on the terms to skewer Wisconsin 'militia' who want vengeance for Scott Walker's recall. (Out of recommendability, sadly.)
From Ed Tracey
In the diary by annieli about the 'Hobson's Choice' that hipsters in the US face ... now that a Russian conglomerate has purchased Pabst Blue Ribbon beer - corvo provides a public service by noting that mass-market brewers have already resorted to Trojan-Horseing a few fake microbrews onto the market, anyway.
From Steven Payne:
This comment by entlord in Democrats Ramshield's diary The German Spiegel publishes the truth about history of slavery & bigotry in Ferguson, MO. is absolutely spot on in truth.
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September 19, 2014
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