The Church will support homosexuals in parades, in wedding ceremonies, ... but it will never allow people to do as they please. There are limits you know?
Cardinal to Lead St. Pat Parade With 1st Gay Group
There is no more natural spot for Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan —
a proud, ebullient Irish-American — than grand marshal of the city's
historic St. Patrick's Day Parade. But the honor now has an added
significance: Parade organizers said Wednesday they will allow the first
gay group to march under its own banner.
Dolan was quick to issue a statement of support for the parade
organizers, accepting their decision. While supporters of gay and
lesbian Catholics are cheering, some conservatives want the archbishop
to withdraw from the event.
"I think we're seeing the Catholicism of Pope Francis come to the
Archdiocese of New York," said J. Patrick Hornbeck, chairman of the
theology department at Fordham University. "Cardinal Dolan's statement
is welcoming. He did not make this decision, but sees the parade as an
opportunity for unity."
Pope Francis last year said church leaders should focus more on mercy
than on divisive social issues. He famously said, "Who am I to judge?"
when asked about gays and lesbians who are seeking God.
But Pat Archbold, a writer for the theologically conservative National
Catholic Register, called Dolan's decision to remain as grand marshal a
"total capitulation to gay identity groups."
Dolan said in a statement the parade organizers have "my confidence and
support" and he thanked them for keeping the parade "close to its
Catholic heritage." He said he and his predecessors have never
determined who could march in the parade, but left that decision to the
organizers.
However, in 1993, Cardinal John O'Connor opposed the campaign by the
Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization for permission to march under their
own banner. More than 200 gay rights protesters staged a countermarch
that year and were arrested.
"Irish Catholics have been persecuted for the sole reason that they have
refused to compromise church teaching," O'Connor said. "What others may
call bigotry, Irish Catholics call principle."
Dolan's position on the parade is the latest of his gentler comments on gays and lesbians.
Last year, Dolan was asked on ABC's "This Week" about gay and lesbian
Catholics who felt rejected by the church. "Well, the first thing I'd
say to them is, 'I love you, too. And God loves you. And you are made in
God's image and likeness,'" Dolan said.
When Missouri defensive end Michael Sam announced he was gay earlier this year, Dolan said, "Good for him."
"I would have no sense of judgment on him. God bless ya," Dolan said in
an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''The same Bible that tells us
that — teaches us well about the virtues of chastity and — and the
virtue of fidelity and marriage also tells us not to judge people. So I
would say, 'Bravo.'"
At the St. Patrick's Day Parade last March, Dolan said he supports
individual gays and lesbians participating in the parade and hoped it
could be a day of unity and joy. "I know that there are thousands and
thousands of gay people marching in this parade," he said. "I know it.
And I'm glad they are."
The parade has no direct ties to the church, but celebrates a Catholic
saint and has always been a key event for the city's Irish Catholics.
Philip Lawler, the Boston-based editor of the theologically conservative
Catholic World News, said Dolan should step down as grand marshal.
"My phone has been ringing off the hook with people who are upset,"
Lawler said. "Cardinal Dolan said, 'I'm sure there have been lots of
homosexuals marching in the parade before,' but homosexuals identifying
themselves seems a contradiction in honoring a Catholic saint."
Lawler said the New York parade is more of a civic event that has
already lost much of its ties to religion. "Why don't we just admit it
has no religious significance?" Lawler said.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic
gay rights group, said he thinks Dolan feels freer to take positions
like his stand on the parade now that he is no longer the president of
the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"I think he's able to be more of a pastor to the people of New York than
he had been when he was on the national stage, bishops primarily are
pastors and teachers and I think he's fulfilling that role," DeBernardo
said. "I think Pope Francis has been teaching the bishops what being a
pastor
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Confidential > Stop
scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
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