LA Archdiocese: Dodgers’ decision to honor drag queen nuns disparages real religious sisters

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 23, 2023 / 13:53 pm (CNA).

Responding to the news that the Los Angeles Dodgers will honor a self-described “leading-edge order of queer and trans nuns” with a long history of obscenely satirizing the Catholic faith, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is calling for “all Catholics and people of goodwill to stand against bigotry and hate in any form.” 

“The decision to honor a group that clearly mocks the Catholic faith and makes light of the sincere and holy vocations of our women religious who are an integral part of our Church is what has caused disappointment, concern, anger, and dismay from our Catholic community,” the archdiocese said in a statement Tuesday.

“The ministries and vocations of our religious women should be honored and celebrated through genuine acts of appreciation, reverence, and respect for their sacred vows, and for all the good works of our nuns and sisters in service of the mission of the Catholic Church,” the statement continued.

“The Archdiocese stands against any actions that would disparage and diminish our Christian faith and those who dedicate their lives to Christ,” the statement said. “Let us also show our care and respect for our women religious by sending a message of support to their communities through phone calls, letters, and posts on their social channels, supporting vocations by donating to their orders, and/or making donations in their name to the programs they support,” the archdiocese said. “Let us show the world how much our women religious mean to us and our Church.”

After sharp criticism from Catholic advocacy groups and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, the Major League Baseball team at first backed down from its plans to honor the L.A. Chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a Community Hero Award at a June 16 LGBTQ+ Pride Night game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Less than a week later, however, the Dodgers on Monday reversed course again, issuing an apology and a new invitation to participate in the event, which the Sisters accepted.

In response, CatholicVote, a Catholic advocacy group that publicly condemned the initial invitation, vowed to launch a “barrage” of advertising against the team across Los Angeles and in game broadcasts.

“This is a slap in the face of every Catholic,” CatholicVote President Brian Burch said in a statement. “We’re raising $1 million as fast as we can, and we will pummel this decision in advertising that the Dodgers can’t ignore.”

“Every advertiser, every season ticket holder, every charity, every fan must speak out against the Dodgers’ decision to promote anti-Catholic hate,” Burch added. “Why does ‘pride’ have to include honoring the most grotesque and scandalous anti-Catholic perverts?”

The Dodgers’ decision also drew the ire of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. “Our Catholic sisters devote themselves to serving others selflessly. Decent people would not mock & blaspheme them,” he tweeted Tuesday. “So we now know what gods the Dodger admin worships. Open desecration & anti-Catholicism is not disqualifying. Disappointing but not surprising. Gird your loins.”

Also on Tuesday, the Catholic League released a report citing examples of the Sisters’ anti-Catholic insults going back to 1979.

The list includes an “exorcism” and a “Condom Savior Mass” in 1987; a mock Mass in 1994 that featured “holy communion wafers and tequila”; a “Midnight Confessional Contest” held in a San Diego gay bar that gave prizes to those with the “hottest confessions”; and the group’s annual “Hunky Jesus” contest held every Easter Sunday.

“Our next step is to persuade Catholics in the Los Angeles area not to attend Pride Night on June 16,” Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement Tuesday. “By boycotting this event, we can send a message to the Dodgers, and to Major League Baseball, that anti-Catholic bigotry is unacceptable.”

CNA requested comment from the Sisters’ L.A. chapter group through its website but did not receive a response before publication.