To the editor:
I must say the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops continue to amaze me with its clueless nature.
Let's take, for instance, Cardinal Timothy Dolan's recent comment on NBC's Meet the Press. The Cardinal said the Roman Catholic Church is losing the fight because it's been "caricatured as anti-gay." In my opinion, it has been caricatured as anti-gay because that is, in fact and truth, what it is.
Meet the Press host David Gregory interviewed Dolan in a segment that aired Dec. 1.
"Regardless of the church teachings, do you think this is evolving in such a way that it's ultimately going to be legal everywhere?" Gregory asked.
"I think I'd be a Pollyanna to say there doesn't seem to be kind of a stampede to do this," Dolan responded. "I regret that."
This is the first time a prince of the Church has recognized that the Catholic bishops are losing the fight over the issue of marriage equality, and publically admits it.
This statement comes as gay-rights issues are winning victory after victory, with Illinois, New Jersey and Hawaii the most recent states to grant marriage equality. In every state where gay marriage has passed, it has been the local Catholic Conference of State bishops who have mounted and aggressive and viscous campaigns agaainst the issues.
Cardinal Dolan, I say this in charity: You need to get a grip and accept that you are bigotand the clerical closet will not save you from that descriptive title. You are losing the marriage-equality battle not because you are anti-gay, but rather because you are anti-reasonable.
Joe Murray
Chicago