Pope Francis said this week that the Catholic Church should apologize to gay people for excluding them or discriminating against them in the past. Instead the Church should respect them and accompany them pastorally throughout their lives, he said.
“The church must say it is sorry for not having behaved as it should many times, many times. When I say ‘the Church,’ I mean we Christians, because the Church is holy; we are the sinners,” the pontiff said. “We Christians must say we are sorry.”
But Francis’ groundbreaking conciliatory words were not well received by his self-appointed spokesman in the U.S., President of the Catholic League, spokesman Bill Donohue.
Speaking to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Donohue took a less than supportive tone.
“Do you feel like apologizing to the LGBT community?” Cuomo asked Donohue, who exploded at the question.
“No,” said Donohue. “As a matter of fact, I want an apology from gays! I’ve been assaulted by gays. I’ve never assaulted a gay person in my entire life!”
Asked why he was so invested in battling LGBT rights when there were many good Christian works he could be performing, like helping the poor, Donohue shot back: “I don’t care what gay people do. I don’t want to have a lifestyle thrusted in my face though. That’s a different kind of thing altogether.”
“What do you mean thrusted?” Cuomo asked. “How are they putting their gay on you?”
Donohue replied that American businesses should be allowed to discriminate against LGBT people who request services for a wedding ceremony.
Cuomo then referred to the Pope’s remarks that gay people shouldn’t be judged, which tipped Donohue over into an onscreen meltdown.
“He has said that gay marriage is the work of the devil. He has said that gender ideology – you know, the trans, the trans people? He says that gender ideology is demonic. That is the Pope that I like!”
It’s official – the President of the Catholic League now believes himself to be more Catholic than the pope.
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