Posted on 03/09/2012 1:56:31 PM PST by NYer
CNN's Kyra Phillips asked a Catholic bishop on Thursday "why not get on board" with dissenting Catholics who favor gay marriage. Given CNN's past [1] support [2] for LGBT causes, they clearly would not question the motives of a religious minister favoring gay marriage.
In fact, in 2010 Phillips fawned [3] over a Christian pastor who publicly began accepting the lifestyle of gays and lesbians.
Phillips had cited a statistic saying 43 percent of American Catholics favor gay marriage. "So, Bishop, times are changing. Views are changing. You're changing your tactics even," Phillips said. "So, why not get on board with the 43 percent of Catholics?"
"Well their thinking is outside the realm of Catholic teaching for 2,000 years," Bishop Malone responded.
Phillips' interview with Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, was over the Catholic Church's new tactic concerning the state's referendum vote in November asking voters to approve same-sex marriage.
[Video below. Click here [4] for audio.]
The bishop wanted to focus the resources of the diocese on educating Catholics about a "more profound" understanding of marriage between a man and a woman. But as he told Phillips, "let there be no confusion about the fact that the diocese and I will still be very involved in the effort to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman."
Phillips hyped the diocese's change in tactics as a "stunning move." She saw the opportunity to pop the question to the bishop, "Are you softening your stance on same-sex marriage?" To which Bishop Malone responded "Not at all. It will be even stronger and more vigorous."
A transcript of the segment, which aired on March 8 on Newsroom at 11:19 a.m. EST, is as follows:
KYRA PHILLIPS: Well, in the battle over same-sex marriage, a stunning move by the Catholic Church in Maine. The church says it will not actively campaign against a November referendum asking voters to approve gay marriage. Now, that stands in stark contrast with the church's position in 2009 when it waged a campaign to overturn a law passed that same year legalizing same-sex marriage.
Now, the gay activist group, Human Rights Campaign, says the church spent nearly $2 million in the fight to repeal that law. Joining us now, the bishop of Portland, Richard Malone. Bishop, thanks so much for being with me. You're not going to take an active role, from what I see here, in fundraising, staffing, advertising, or campaigning against the gay marriage referendum this time around. Why?
Bishop RICHARD MALONE, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine: Good morning, Kyra. Well, let there be no confusion about the fact that the diocese and I will still be very involved in the effort to protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. But we've decided this year that our best efforts can be to put our energies and resources into educating our Catholic community better about the very nature of marriage.
PHILLIPS: So, Bishop, let me ask me – ask you. You know, this plan of action has changed quite drastically since 2009, you know, where you had very active campaign. And now you're moving toward education and putting funds towards that. Are you softening your stance on same-sex marriage?
MALONE: Not at all. It will be even stronger and more vigorous. One of our discoveries in 2009 was that really, many of our Catholic people in Maine could use a bit more profound understanding of how the church has understood marriage for 2,000 years. So, I decided, while we will certainly be in close contact with our allies who will lead the political battle, we intend to focus on the education and formation of consciences of our people.
PHILLIPS: Now, let me ask you, Bishop, according to the Public Religion Research Institute, right now – this is a recent survey that was conducted – Catholics are more supportive of legal recognition of same-sex relationships than members of any other Christian tradition and American overall. It reports 43 percent of Catholics nationally favor gay marriage. Is that why you're taking a different approach here?
MALONE: Well, you're on to something there, Kyra. To the extent that we can trust that those numbers are accurate – and that's always a question, of course – but that proves exactly the motivation for the approach that we're taking. We're taking no chances that our people will not have a really accurate understanding of what marriage is and to the impact on society should anyone try to change that definition of marriage.
PHILLIPS: So, Bishop, times are changing. Views are changing. You're changing your tactics even. Or your – I guess you say your strategy. So, why not get on board with the 43 percent of Catholics?
MALONE: The 43 percent who –
PHILLIPS: Who have no problem with gay marriage.
MALONE: Well their thinking is outside the realm of Catholic teaching for 2,000 years. And those are the folks that we want to focus on so they'll perhaps be able to have what I would call an intellectual conversion about a very key building-block of society, that is the nature of marriage as the union of one man, one woman.
Well, yes and no. When your survey is only 200 people in an area that is known to support same-sex marriage.... that’s the kinda numbers you get.
Mar 15, 2011 – CNN Newsroom anchor Kyra Phillips, 42, and her fiancée, Fox News senior national correspondent John Roberts, 54, welcomed fraternal twins
Your questions presuppose that it is a genetic/medical condition rather than a choice. I know many gays (and ex-gays) who admit it is/was a choice or pressure - often because of sexual abuse.
My father, who died of AIDS, even said it was a choice - one he wished he could take back but by then it was too late.
If they did the same survey of 200 people in my town, they would get <1% support - regardless of religion.
first soledad then this phillips person. Proof neither are qualified. Jack asses! Both airheads. Asking such a question. What an ignorant idiot.
Sounds like a good place to live.
Yep, and those so-called Christians either never read the Bible, or don’t believe in it. Either way, they are lost.
Sorry CNN and “modern times”, the Catholic Church will not bend to your will. The Church has dealt with this for 2,000 years and it is still standing. Evil will never prevail against it...just like Jesus told Peter.
My question presupposes nothing, except that insufficient research on the entire matter has been done. There is evidence that its a choice. The best science so far says there is no gay gene. There is evidence that people discover that they are gay and feel that it was not a choice, regardless of the cause.
The point is anybody in medical science who attempts to either study it, or raise money to study it, will find themselves unemployed.
Cynthia Nixon nearly got her head handed to her for suggesting she chose it.
The only headway that anyone will make on the MEDICAL or SCIENTIFC question of what causes homosexuality, and what, if anything, can be done about it, could only really be done by the Church.
They have a vital interest in the question, since it has so damaged them in every respect in the last 40 years especially. I daresay they could make it a cause worthy of fundraising in search of a cure.
Who does not want a cure for pedophilia, for example? If they are linked, the Church could do the world a massive medical service.
It is actually. It is so safe we don’t usually lock our doors or our cars. People ‘break and enter’ to LEAVE things (usually vegetables, meat, or milk) and the last crime we had was a year ago when the neighbors got into a fist fight and someone called the cops.
The town is over 125 yrs old and our last murder was in 1980. We only had 2 before that in the entire history of the town. It is kind of surreal in a way.
A ‘cure’ would assume there is an underlying medical condition, a reason beyond the persons control. That is my only objection.
Personally, I think the best ‘cure’ for pedophilia is castration.
What a bunch of ignorant ghouls of soddom. THese people are suffering from a slavery to sex derangement. It’s like asking why not injecting sugar to people with diabetes.
Mine is similar. We haven’t had a murder in 15 or more years, and I often don’t bother to lock my car. There are almost 50,000 people here too, but it is a wealthy community, 30 miles outside Los Angeles. We do get a few burglaries, but not many. Too far to drive? Also, 2000 LAPD live in the next town...: )
Nancy who? Oh, yeah, that plastic surgery of a blow up doll. At this point in time, what is gay since it’s plastic?
“why not get on board” with dissenting Catholics who favor gay marriage.”
Wow.
Do these people ever LISTEN to themselves?
I think a lot of people simply don’t think, at all.
I know enough homosexuals to know that most, if not all, don’t want to be homosexuals. I can’t get my head around it, but I’m convinced its true.
Until there’s ANY evidence, and there is precious little, nothing can be assumed.
As for pedophila, I would like to think, but I don’t know, that there are pedophiles who truly don’t want to be. It would be better that a cure can be found than they be put to death or exiled.
Good . for you. But the Tridentine Mass is not why those kids no longer appear. We actually have a Tridentine Church a half mile away and those families are not there either. These kids went through the sacraments so they could have a church wedding if they desire to
Just wrote CNN and asked them what cocktail lounge they plucked Phillips from.
No way! If it was Nancy's district it would be 93%, not 43%.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.