If you were looking for a textbook example of someone who, in Pope Francis’s words, is “obsessed” with condemning homosexuality, look no further than Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. After all Dolan, who has been an outspoken opponent of all things lavender, once said that marriage equality would make New York the equivalent of North Korea. But if Francis’s comments shocked Dolan, he’s not about to show it. Dolan has finally commented on the Pope’s recent interview and, no surprise, thinks Francis is “a breath of fresh air” and “a great relief to all of us.”
Of course, Dolan has a lot of spinning to do to adjust to the new pope’s attitude. Just two months ago, Dolan was saying that Pope Francis didn’t represent any change in the Vatican’s attitudes. After Francis asked “Who am I to judge?” when it came to gay people, Dolan insisted that the pope was just singing the old “Love the sinner, hate the sin” hymn.
And to a large extent, that’s what Dolan is still saying, interpreting the pope’s comments to fit his own inclinations. “He knows that the highest and most sacred responsibility is to pass on the timeless teaching of the church,” Dolan said of the pope. “What he’s saying is that we have to think of a more effective way to do it, because if the church comes off as a scold, it’s counterproductive. If the church comes off as a loving, embracing mother, who periodically has to correct her children, then we will be effective.”
In other words, old wine, new skins.
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Dolan also insists that he just loves us to bits and always has, but there’s always room for improvement. “We’ve got to do better to see that our defense of marriage is not reduced to an attack on gay people,” he said. Perhaps that means he won’t compare marriage equality to incest. Or perhaps when gay people are physically attacked, he’ll spend more than 19 seconds condemning the violence. However, we wouldn’t count on it.
dukeofhurl
As long as he keeps rocking those dresses I don’t care what he says.
MikeE
the problem here is that Pope Francis IS just couching the old “hate the sin not the sinner” mantra in new words! NOTHING that Francis said demonstrates in any way, shape, or form that the Vatican is “changing attitudes” on LGBT people. He’s just saying “don’t say it so loudly”.
andy_d
@MikeE: Amen.
Goforit
I would be willing to bet that the Pope is not the only thing that the Cardinal has experience “sucking up to”.
ptseti
Breaking News….Cardinal Dolan has set up exploratory committee to replace the Pope.
After much prayer and thought the Cardinal has announced that he is instructed by divine intervention to replace the Pope as his utterances are divisive and will shake the very foundations of the gospel of hate the church has spent years to perfect.
At his press conference the Cardinal was quick to add that he has “no personal issues with the Pope ,it’s just that his message is off track and allows too many interpretations especially from the people most intrigued..the gay people. ”
When asked who else will be on this committee the Cardinal declined to answer only quoting the gospel by saying….” The Lord will provide”. He then asked everyone to bow their heads in prayer.
Deepdow
“If the church comes off as a loving, embracing mother, who periodically has to correct her children, then we will be effective.”
Look at this condescending, paternalistic bullshit. This is why I don’t like organized religion. They treat non-clergy members like mute morons who wouldn’t have a clue unless self-righteous, abnormal thinking demagogues were there to “correct” us. Who do they think they are?
Polaro
Atheist, and proud of it. This man is no one to me.
jonjct
^ so much contempt and mockery expressed here by gays. you all sound so poisoned, so negative, so full of hatred. check your mouths boys, you are not madonna (i know that’s hard, but it’s true, you’re not).
2eo
@Polaro: Good man, we are winning, every day we are beating them back.
@jonjct: When they hand over the files on the 250,000 paedophiles in the church then we can talk. They deserve hate, and the paedos deserve reprisals, up to and including death.