Credit Where Credit is Due

And How Not to Look Like You Did The Right Thing. Reports are varied concerning what happened to the Priest in the Archdiocese of Washington, DC who rudely denied communion to the person he found too sinful because she is a lesbian openly living with her partner (which is legal now in the state where she lives-Maryland.) The shocking thing about this encounter was that it was at her mother's funeral. As I know a woman or two who has a gay son (and one that had one before he died of AIDS)I have a strong reaction of disgust at such an act- as if the Archdiocese is not happy to collect checks from gay Knights of Columbus or ones working at the World Bank or lay ones serving on the Altar. This woman was attending her mother's funeral and giving an eulogy and the priest was just a jerk. Sorry- no other way to express it- jerk. Such a jerk it undermines the good perceptions generally clergy should enjoy. Just not a nice guy. Random A-hole priest. The Archdiocese made an apology, through a junior bishop which at first looked politically too saavy. Like, well, the pastoral thing to do is talk to the person first before deliberate humiliation in front of all her friends and her mother's family friends -at her mother's funeral. And now, it looks like it finally put the priest on 'administrative leave' pending investigation. You would have thought this would be the end of the controversy. But oh no, because the wingnuts want to downplay this -which was actually a good move for that and apparently other reasons having to do with his ticking off more than the lesbian- there is sort of a denial of the administrative action with the American Papist punk shouting My Daddy the Canon Lawyer says it wasn't really a suspension. No, it was reported as an Administrative Leave and so what's the difference kiddies. The point is that the Priest Jerk (no, I don't care how much clerical education he has or who laid hands on him) needs to understand that Jesus is not a weapon of political destruction. Jesus is a healer who came to everyone who wanted a piece of him. And if we are counting sins, lets start with slander and bile that oozes from wingnut commentary and just basic delusional quasi- truth bending gymnastics that don't want to call an Administrative leave a 'Suspension.' Only in some canon law wingnut world does- do not report to work today - get a positive bill of health. The Archdiocese looks like it actually did the right thing by Administratively bootkicking him to the sidebench. American papist punks should quit while they are ahead.