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

The Bishop's Banana

McElroy’s Listening Tour gets off to confusing start

“Im sorry, I can’t hear you; I’ve got an LGBTQ banana in my ear!” In a post-session interview, Bishop McElroy said that in using the banana, he was attempting to demonstrate the way that Catholic anti-gay bigotry makes genuine dialogue impossible. “As Ernie and Bert could not communicate effectively because of the barrier between them, so also are faithful followers of Pope Francis unable to communicate with those who seek to destroy his campaign of mercy and inclusion. The Pope wants to rebuild the Church, as I tried to indicate with my cardboard cutout of the Holy Father bearing gift cards for The Home Depot and other stores. His critics just want to tear it down.”
“Im sorry, I can’t hear you; I’ve got an LGBTQ banana in my ear!” In a post-session interview, Bishop McElroy said that in using the banana, he was attempting to demonstrate the way that Catholic anti-gay bigotry makes genuine dialogue impossible. “As Ernie and Bert could not communicate effectively because of the barrier between them, so also are faithful followers of Pope Francis unable to communicate with those who seek to destroy his campaign of mercy and inclusion. The Pope wants to rebuild the Church, as I tried to indicate with my cardboard cutout of the Holy Father bearing gift cards for The Home Depot and other stores. His critics just want to tear it down.”

Following revelations that he sat on a letter that testified to ex-Cardinal McCarrick’s sexual misbehavior instead of passing it along to the man whose job he hoped to one day take (Cardinal Wuerl of Washington D.C.), Bishop Robert McElroy announced a listening tour around San Diego, “seeking input from people in the pews on the pathway to reform.” But at his first meeting this week at Our Lady of Penance in Rancho Santa Fe, the Bishop not only conducted the session with a rainbow-striped banana in his ear, he also answered questions by quoting from his own article in the current issue of America, a Jesuit magazine. A sample:

Sponsored
Sponsored
The Bishop's fruit-based inspiration.

Concerned Catholic #1: Your Excellency, given the revelations surrounding homosexual abuse within an institution that expressly forbids homosexual activity and among men who publicly profess celibacy, extending from the now-disgraced Cardinal McCarrick all the way down to St. John’s seminary in Boston, do you think it’s time for the Church to reassess its approach to homosexuality?

McElroy: Jesus Christ and his church seek to embrace fully and immediately men and women in the LGBT community. Next.

Concerned Catholic #2: When you say, “fully,” what exactly do you mean? It seems a curious term, especially in light of the gross unchastity these clerics have displayed.

McElroy: Many times, our discussions in the life of the church suggest that chastity has a singularly powerful role in determining our moral character and our relationship to God. It does not. Next.”

Concerned Catholic #3: But we’re talking about sexual abuse here. Doesn’t that indicate a singularly serious problem with both moral character and one’s relationship to God?

McElroy: Pope Francis continually reminds us that the Lord unceasingly called the disciples to reject the temptation to judge others, precisely because it is a sin so easy for us all to fall into and one so injurious to the life of the church. Thank you all for coming.

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

Dia de los Muertos Celebration, Love Thy Neighbor(Hood): Food & Art Exploration

Events November 2-November 6, 2024
Next Article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
“Im sorry, I can’t hear you; I’ve got an LGBTQ banana in my ear!” In a post-session interview, Bishop McElroy said that in using the banana, he was attempting to demonstrate the way that Catholic anti-gay bigotry makes genuine dialogue impossible. “As Ernie and Bert could not communicate effectively because of the barrier between them, so also are faithful followers of Pope Francis unable to communicate with those who seek to destroy his campaign of mercy and inclusion. The Pope wants to rebuild the Church, as I tried to indicate with my cardboard cutout of the Holy Father bearing gift cards for The Home Depot and other stores. His critics just want to tear it down.”
“Im sorry, I can’t hear you; I’ve got an LGBTQ banana in my ear!” In a post-session interview, Bishop McElroy said that in using the banana, he was attempting to demonstrate the way that Catholic anti-gay bigotry makes genuine dialogue impossible. “As Ernie and Bert could not communicate effectively because of the barrier between them, so also are faithful followers of Pope Francis unable to communicate with those who seek to destroy his campaign of mercy and inclusion. The Pope wants to rebuild the Church, as I tried to indicate with my cardboard cutout of the Holy Father bearing gift cards for The Home Depot and other stores. His critics just want to tear it down.”

Following revelations that he sat on a letter that testified to ex-Cardinal McCarrick’s sexual misbehavior instead of passing it along to the man whose job he hoped to one day take (Cardinal Wuerl of Washington D.C.), Bishop Robert McElroy announced a listening tour around San Diego, “seeking input from people in the pews on the pathway to reform.” But at his first meeting this week at Our Lady of Penance in Rancho Santa Fe, the Bishop not only conducted the session with a rainbow-striped banana in his ear, he also answered questions by quoting from his own article in the current issue of America, a Jesuit magazine. A sample:

Sponsored
Sponsored
The Bishop's fruit-based inspiration.

Concerned Catholic #1: Your Excellency, given the revelations surrounding homosexual abuse within an institution that expressly forbids homosexual activity and among men who publicly profess celibacy, extending from the now-disgraced Cardinal McCarrick all the way down to St. John’s seminary in Boston, do you think it’s time for the Church to reassess its approach to homosexuality?

McElroy: Jesus Christ and his church seek to embrace fully and immediately men and women in the LGBT community. Next.

Concerned Catholic #2: When you say, “fully,” what exactly do you mean? It seems a curious term, especially in light of the gross unchastity these clerics have displayed.

McElroy: Many times, our discussions in the life of the church suggest that chastity has a singularly powerful role in determining our moral character and our relationship to God. It does not. Next.”

Concerned Catholic #3: But we’re talking about sexual abuse here. Doesn’t that indicate a singularly serious problem with both moral character and one’s relationship to God?

McElroy: Pope Francis continually reminds us that the Lord unceasingly called the disciples to reject the temptation to judge others, precisely because it is a sin so easy for us all to fall into and one so injurious to the life of the church. Thank you all for coming.

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

Jazz guitarist Alex Ciavarelli pays tribute to pianist Oscar Peterson

“I had to extract the elements that spoke to me and realize them on my instrument”
Next Article

Pranksters vandalize Padres billboard in wake of playoff loss

Where’s the bat at?
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