Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

San Diego bishop addresses bulletin controversy

Demoncrats!

San Diego’s Bishop McElroy in an undated file photo. “It’s simply preposterous for a priest to suggest that you will go to hell if you vote Democrat,” says the head of the Catholic Church in San Diego. “Jesus was a huge liberal: the sharing, the peacemaking, the struggle against prejudice and hate... Besides, everyone knows there’s no such thing as hell.”
San Diego’s Bishop McElroy in an undated file photo. “It’s simply preposterous for a priest to suggest that you will go to hell if you vote Democrat,” says the head of the Catholic Church in San Diego. “Jesus was a huge liberal: the sharing, the peacemaking, the struggle against prejudice and hate... Besides, everyone knows there’s no such thing as hell.”

Shortly before Election Day, the bulletin at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Old Town featured a flyer that warned, “It is a mortal sin to vote Democrat,” and that souls that died in the state of mortal sin were destined for hell. The church’s pastor affirmed to the New York Daily News that "he does teach parishioners that they will go to hell if they support Democrats.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The next week, the bulletin featured an article by the pastor that spoke of the sins that had enslaved America, such as abortion and gay marriage. It also warned against immigrants bent on eradicating "every belief except of their own prophet and god."

Screen cap from the recent San Diego Union-Tribune video about the diocese’s Synod on the Family.

But San Diego’s Bishop Robert McElroy was quick to correct the record. "The poor man, ranting about abortion like it’s the ‘80s, or about homosexual marriage like it’s the ‘90s, or about Islam like it’s the aughts. The world has moved on, and the Church is God’s outstretched hand to the world. Heaven and hell are not about abstract notions of right and wrong, they’re about inclusion and exclusion. Jesus uses the image of being locked outside a house in the dark of the night, excluded from the warmth and communion inside. The church teaches that God desires the salvation of all men — and women — and that’s a pretty inclusive statement. It’s why I’m following Pope Francis and making outreach a central part of my episcopacy. We want to bring people in, not keep them out: whether they’re of a different orientation, a different nationality, or even if they have a different idea about God’s name. That’s not to say we agree with everything they say, but the church has been arguing about stuff since Day One. We’ll figure it all out eventually, but there’s no reason to keep everyone waiting outside in the meantime."

McElroy added, “This is actually a large part of why I called my recent Diocesan Synod on the Family. Much has been made of my reaching out to divorced or LGBT Catholics, people who feel excluded by the church community because of what it says in the Catechism. I tell those people that the church is not the Catechism; the church is a structure built with living stones, witnessing in the world to God’s love and forgiveness. And I’m glad that my words of welcome are being broadcast far and wide. But I also want to reach out to the so-called ‘Cathechism Catholics.’ Those who feel lonely and isolated even as they profess full communion with the church. I want them to know that God’s love extends even to them. I mean, Jesus offered salvation to the Pharisee Nicodemus! How can I do any less?"

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
Next Article

Live Five: Sitting On Stacy, Matte Blvck, Think X, Hendrix Celebration, Coriander

Alt-ska, dark electro-pop, tributes, and coastal rock in Solana Beach, Little Italy, Pacific Beach
San Diego’s Bishop McElroy in an undated file photo. “It’s simply preposterous for a priest to suggest that you will go to hell if you vote Democrat,” says the head of the Catholic Church in San Diego. “Jesus was a huge liberal: the sharing, the peacemaking, the struggle against prejudice and hate... Besides, everyone knows there’s no such thing as hell.”
San Diego’s Bishop McElroy in an undated file photo. “It’s simply preposterous for a priest to suggest that you will go to hell if you vote Democrat,” says the head of the Catholic Church in San Diego. “Jesus was a huge liberal: the sharing, the peacemaking, the struggle against prejudice and hate... Besides, everyone knows there’s no such thing as hell.”

Shortly before Election Day, the bulletin at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Old Town featured a flyer that warned, “It is a mortal sin to vote Democrat,” and that souls that died in the state of mortal sin were destined for hell. The church’s pastor affirmed to the New York Daily News that "he does teach parishioners that they will go to hell if they support Democrats.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

The next week, the bulletin featured an article by the pastor that spoke of the sins that had enslaved America, such as abortion and gay marriage. It also warned against immigrants bent on eradicating "every belief except of their own prophet and god."

Screen cap from the recent San Diego Union-Tribune video about the diocese’s Synod on the Family.

But San Diego’s Bishop Robert McElroy was quick to correct the record. "The poor man, ranting about abortion like it’s the ‘80s, or about homosexual marriage like it’s the ‘90s, or about Islam like it’s the aughts. The world has moved on, and the Church is God’s outstretched hand to the world. Heaven and hell are not about abstract notions of right and wrong, they’re about inclusion and exclusion. Jesus uses the image of being locked outside a house in the dark of the night, excluded from the warmth and communion inside. The church teaches that God desires the salvation of all men — and women — and that’s a pretty inclusive statement. It’s why I’m following Pope Francis and making outreach a central part of my episcopacy. We want to bring people in, not keep them out: whether they’re of a different orientation, a different nationality, or even if they have a different idea about God’s name. That’s not to say we agree with everything they say, but the church has been arguing about stuff since Day One. We’ll figure it all out eventually, but there’s no reason to keep everyone waiting outside in the meantime."

McElroy added, “This is actually a large part of why I called my recent Diocesan Synod on the Family. Much has been made of my reaching out to divorced or LGBT Catholics, people who feel excluded by the church community because of what it says in the Catechism. I tell those people that the church is not the Catechism; the church is a structure built with living stones, witnessing in the world to God’s love and forgiveness. And I’m glad that my words of welcome are being broadcast far and wide. But I also want to reach out to the so-called ‘Cathechism Catholics.’ Those who feel lonely and isolated even as they profess full communion with the church. I want them to know that God’s love extends even to them. I mean, Jesus offered salvation to the Pharisee Nicodemus! How can I do any less?"

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Poway’s schools, faced with money squeeze, fined for voter mailing

$105 million bond required payback of nearly 10 times that amount
Next Article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader