Posted on 03/29/2004 5:51:50 AM PST by marshmallow
CANTON, Mass. - A gay man interrupted a church Mass on Sunday when he told congregants he objected to a video opposing same-sex marriage that was shown moments earlier.
Chuck Colbert created a brief disturbance when he stood up after the eight-minute video, identified himself as a Catholic and said he objected to the video, said the Rev. Michael Doyle of St. John the Evangelist church.
"We called police to maintain order," Doyle said. "We had no interest in pressing charges against anyone." Canton police said they went to the church but made no arrests.
The video was shown during the 9 a.m. Mass and Doyle decided to not show it during the 11:30 a.m. service.
The video was shown a day before the Massachusetts Legislature renews debate on a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.
In the video, a female voice, played over various images, urges listeners to contact lawmakers to urge them to vote against gay marriage and civil unions. It says civil unions "discriminate against the poor and needy," and will hurt the economy by paying out Social Security (news - web sites) survivor benefits.
"I just found it to be such a scurrilous, scandalous piece of misinformation," Colbert said. "For me to sit there and take it is out of the question."
Colbert is a freelance writer who contributes stories to the National Catholic Reporter, an independent weekly newspaper that has endorsed same-sex marriage.
"My life is very similar to the people in there," Colbert told New England Cable News outside the church. "I want to be married, I have a wonderful partner, we're building a life together, it in no way threatens anyone else."
Archdiocese spokesman the Rev. Christopher Coyne said it was appropriate to show the video and said only Colbert objected.
"He's not even a member of that parish," he said. "He doesn't even worship in Canton. He was obviously alerted and decided to disrupt that Mass."
Colbert acknowledged he was alerted about the video, but that he's free to attend any Mass.
"I wanted to see how it was presented," he said. "I've never seen anything like that."
Doyle said the video was supplied by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference.
I don't know anything about the National Catholic Reporter as a publication, but I interpret the above quote to mean, "this guy send a lot of garbage to the renegade NCR, but even they won't actually publish it."
Beat me to it. I can't even imagine that...my parish is fairly un-traditional (more's the pity) but showing a video during Mass, even a good one...just strikes me as bizarre!
What We Can Do To Help Defeat the "Gay" Agenda |
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Homosexual Agenda: Categorical Index of Links (Version 1.1) |
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The Stamp of Normality |
The worst part about this story is that the priest caved and didn't show the video in the 11:30 service, revealing himself to be unable to stand up in the place of the church to one homosexual who did not even belong to the parish!
"I would rather walk a mile barefoot on broken glass than endure a confrontation with homosexual zealots. However, that less painful path cannot be responsibly taken. What choice is there but to stand in opposition to homosexual activists with their in-your face arrogance, their malicious attacks on religion, family values and moral standards, and, in essence, their demand that American society be turned upside down and inside out to accommodate their sexual disorientations?
It is unconscionable that homosexual invectives and threats have effectively shut down most attempts to expose bogus research or address the cultural implications of the homosexual agenda. It should be, but apparently is not, a matter of serious concern, even shame, that so many of our politicians, our journalists and commentators, our scientists, our government schools teachers, our university professors and our clergy have either been seduced to advance the homosexual agenda, intimidated into passive assent, or cowed into silence.
It is one of the great ironies of modern-day America that it is liberals who are not only enabling but spearheading a vicious version of McCarthyism at its worse. Rarely in the history of our republic has there been such a successful effort to keep lies alive, suppress the truth, censor speech, and engage in blatant character assassination."
-- Linda Bowles, Defending Dr. Laura and America, May 31, 2000, TownHall.com
In years gone by, when the bishop wrote a letter to his flock, the priest would read it during the homily. In these days of hi-tech, I think a video of the bishop speaking is within the bounds of acceptability.
I'm not sure what the content of this video was, but it may have been the bishop speaking about the current homosexual "marriage" question.
Score one for the bad guys. Colbert's disruption at the earlier Mass had the intended effect.
Damn. The chances of it playing in our parish are slim and none.
I think it can be included as part of the homily, but I'm not sure.
If you're into massage, Reiki and enneagrams, you're sure to find something to like.
The man ''chose to disrupt'' the service at the conclusion of the video supplied to the parish by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference which defends traditional marriage, said the Rev. Michael Doyle of St. John the Evangelist church.
The video ''showed the need to preserve marriage as a union between one man and one woman,'' Doyle said, one day before the Legislature renews debate on a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.
''I just found it to be such a scurrilous, scandalous piece of misinformation,'' Chuck Colbert, the man who protested, told The Associated Press. ''For me to sit there and take it is out of the question.''
Doyle said he called police to ''maintain order,'' but Colbert was not arrested or detained.
Colbert is a freelance writer who regularly contributes stories published in the National Catholic Reporter, an independent weekly paper that has endorsed same-sex marriage.
He said the video, available on the Web site www.preservemarriage.org , was played just after Doyle's homily. Colbert said he stood up, introduced himself as a gay Catholic, and protested what he heard and saw.
''I said 'I mean you no harm, I have to bear true witness,''' said Colbert, who was shouted down by several parishioners.
The Archdiocese of Boston has been politically active in the gay marriage debate. Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley has spoken at anti-gay marriage rallies, and the church has urged Catholics to write to their state legislators.
Archdiocese spokesman the Rev. Christopher Coyne said Sunday the Massachusetts Catholic Conference regularly distributes information, including videos, to parishes across the state, and doesn't need to vet material through the archdiocese.
''For the most part, they are people who know what they're doing,'' Coyne said of the conservative group.
Coyne said he had not heard of other disturbances Sunday and said he doesn't know if other parishes showed the video.
''It was made available by the Massachusetts Catholic Conference to any parish that wanted it,'' Coyne said.
In the video, a female voice, played over various images, urges listeners to contact lawmakers to urge them to vote against both gay marriage and civil unions. It says civil unions ''discriminate against the poor and needy,'' and will hurt the economy by paying out social security survivor benefits.
The only other Catholic church in Canton, St. Gerard, did not receive a copy of the video, according to the Rev. Bernard McLaughlin.
At St. John's, the video was shown during the 9 a.m. Mass. Doyle decided to not show it during the 11:30 a.m. service, Coyne said.
Coyne said it was appropriate to show the video, noting that only Colbert objected.
''He's not even a member of that parish,'' Coyne said. ''He doesn't even worship in Canton. He was obviously alerted and decided to disrupt that Mass.''
Colbert acknowledged he was alerted about the video, but that he's free to attend any Mass.
''I wanted to see how it was presented,'' he said. ''I've never seen anything like that.''
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The anti-Catholicism of the "National Catholic Reporter" aka the National Communist Reporter
National Catholic Reporter - The anti-Christian 'Passion of the Christ'
You could use the same rationale to argue for marriages between siblings, between a parent and their adult child, or even between a person and an animal.
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