Would I have said what Cardinal Dolan said? No. I probably would have said, “Hey, I wish Mike well as an athlete and as a human being. I believe that part of what he does off the field is sinful, but I don’t hate him for that, we’re all sinners in one way or another, I just hope and pray he turns from it. But, David, Mike Sam is coming out to thunderous applause from the sports media, the news media in general and what passes for the cool crowd in modern society. And the media and modern society being what they are, he had no good reason to expect anything else. Courageous? Really?”
Given the opportunity, would I have urged the cardinal to reply like that? Sure. And believe me, there are prelates out there who need my advice on this sort of thing more desperately than Cardinal Dolan. (Looking right at you, Cardinal Mahony.) Discussing them in the language that Ann and others do, on the other hand, is not of interest to me. Not just because I’m a noob, but because I wouldn’t even talk about them like that if I were remaining Protestant. If I really had the urge to, I’d drop out of RCIA and put my application in at The Tract Publisher Whose Works Shall Not Be Posted On FR, which happens to be here in the Inland Empire, and try to get paid for it.
Have a blessed Easter Vigil. You’ll be in my prayers.