General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: YMCA Loses $60,000 Grant From Catholic Church After Refusing To Stop Working With LGBT Support Group [View all]theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)Assuming that the battle for equality and human rights for all is shared by everyone here, this is what we are facing:
November 12, 2013
Meet the newly elected President of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2013/11/archbishop-joseph-kurtz-is-the-new-president-of-usccb/
By an overwhelming margin, this morning the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz as their next president, replacing outgoing president Cardinal Timothy Dolan. Archbishop Kurtz received 125 votes; the next candidate, Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, received 25 votes for the office of president, and was subsequently elected Vice President with 147 votes.
The slate of ten candidates included Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami. Archbishop Kurtz had been considered the likely heir to the leadership post, though, because he was Vice President of the conference.
As USCCB President, Archbishop Kurtz will be the most visible leader in the largest religious body in the United States, the 67 million-member Catholic Church. He will advocate in Washington for the Churchs positions opposing same-sex marriage and the federal mandate for contraception coverage. He will be a liaison between the Vatican and the 445 bishops of the U.S.
In Louisvilleand before that, as bishop of KnoxvilleArchbishop Kurtz has demonstrated strong conservative values, and has been a staunch defender of Vatican directives on doctrine and liturgy. Fr. Thomas Reese, a liberal commentator who has frequently disagreed with Vatican politics, has described Archbishop Kurtz as a "smiling conservative in the vein of New Yorks Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who is very gracious but still holds the same positions as Philadelphias Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who has boldly challenged Catholic politicians who dissent from Church teachings on abortion....
http://www.queerty.com/archbishop-joseph-e-kurtz-warns-americas-catholics-gay-marriage-is-the-new-roe-v-wade-20101118/
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/u.s._bishops_laud_courage_of_n.j._senate_vote_on_gay_marriage/