Catholic archbishops criticize Los Angeles Dodgers' blasphemy as team honors controversial LGBTQ group on Pride Night
The Los Angeles Dodgers Pride Night issues have not gone away even with the conclusion of the night. After they invited, disinvited and then reinvited a controversial LGBTQ+ group to the stadium for the festivities, they received a lot of backlash.
Some of that backlash came directly from the Catholic Church. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the controversial group that was invited, use religious imagery to bring attention to the issues they deem relevant and they often dress as nuns.
This irked many archbishops within the church, who did not mince words via AP:
“A professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated. This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy.”
There was a sparse crowd in attendance for the Pride Night event, perhaps due to the controversial nature of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Nuns split on controversial Los Angeles Dodgers event
The Los Angeles Dodgers Pride Night didn't anger everyone within the Catholic community, though. One nun said she understands the work that the Sisters do for the community, which includes supporting meal programs.
Another, who works with and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community, said that she agrees with that sentiment, but wishes they could do something less offensive:
“I realize they do a lot of good for many people with their philanthropic work, and I thank them for that. But where my passion about this most comes from is with regard to my religious life. I have spent about 30 years passionately trying to help people understand and respect the lives of gay, lesbian and trans people. Women religious are their best allies in the Catholic Church — we don’t deserve for our lives to be caricatured in this kind of demeaning way. Why can’t they do all their wonderful work without disrespecting our lives, when we have done so much to help others respect their lives?”
Many Catholics, however, were displeased with the Dodgers' eventual decision to honor the group at the game and urged for fans to boycott.