A day after the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade announced a step toward LGBT inclusion, a pastor at the Archdiocese of Washington said that it is time to end such events altogether as they have been "hijacked."
Instead of wearing green and attending St. Patrick's Day celebrations, Monsignor Charles Pope, said Catholics should "enter their churches and get down on their knees on St. Patrick's Day to pray in reparation for the foolishness, and to pray for this confused world to return to its senses."
The statements were published on Pope's designated blog on the Archdiocese of Washington's website, but the post was apparently removed from the site shortly after BuzzFeed inquired about the post to a spokesperson. The original link to the post now leads to an error page.
"Now the St. Patrick's Parade is becoming of parade of disorder, chaos, and fake unity," Pope wrote in the blog post. "Let's be honest: St. Patrick's Day nationally has become a disgraceful display of drunkenness and foolishness in the middle of Lent that more often embarrasses the memory of Patrick than honors it."
Pope also decried the Al Smith Dinner Memorial Foundation Dinner as "a night of frivolity." Additionally, he said attendees celebrate along "with those who think it is acceptable to abort children by the millions each year, with those who think anal sex is to be celebrated as an expression of love and that LGBTQIA… (I=intersexual, A= Asexual) is actually a form of sanity to which we should tip our hat, and with those who stand four-square against us over religious liberty."
On Wednesday, organizers at the annual New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade said they are allowing an LGBT group to march under its banner for the first time — lifting a long held and controversial ban. Pope contends the event, the largest of its kind, "is devolving into a farcical and hateful ridicule of the faith that St. Patrick preached."
Pope's blog comes even after New York's Roman Catholic Archbishop, Timothy Dolan, promptly issued a statement expressing support for the decision to include the LGBT group — and possibly more LGBT groups in future years — by parade organizers.
Pope went on to say that St. Patrick's Day parades and the Al Smith Dinner should no longer be held.
"End the St Patrick's parade," he wrote. "End the Al Smith Dinner and all other such compromised events. Enough now, back to Church! Wear the purple of Lent and if there is going to be a procession, let it be Eucharistic and penitential for the sins of this age."
A request was left with the communications department at the Archdiocese of Washington seeking comment, specifically, as to whether or not the Archdiocese shares Pope's views. A spokesperson said they were unable to immediately comment.
Here's a link to the post Pope tweeted Thursday morning:
Time to End the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Al Smith Dinner? http://t.co/wGAwffx8YU via @sharethis
Here's the full text of the post, copied from blog before it was apparently removed:
Time to End the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Al Smith Dinner?
By: Msgr. Charles Pope
The time for happy-clappy, lighthearted engagement of our culture may be nearing an end. Sometimes it takes a while to understand that what used to work no longer works. Let me get more specific.
Decades ago the "Al Smith Dinner" was a time for Republicans and Democrats to bury the hatchet (even if only temporarily) and come together to raise money for the poor and to emphasize what unites us rather than what divides us. But in the old days the death of 50 million infants was not what divided us. We were divided about lesser things such as how much of the budget should go to defense and how much to social spending. Reasonable men might differ over that.
But now we are being asked to raise toasts and to enjoy a night of frivolity with those who think it is acceptable to abort children by the millions each year, with those who think anal sex is to be celebrated as an expression of love and that LGBTQIA… (I=intersexual, A= Asexual) is actually a form of sanity to which we should tip our hat, and with those who stand four-square against us over religious liberty.
Now the St. Patrick's Parade is becoming of parade of disorder, chaos, and fake unity. Let's be honest: St. Patrick's Day nationally has become a disgraceful display of drunkenness and foolishness in the middle of Lent that more often embarrasses the memory of Patrick than honors it.
In New York City in particular, the "parade" is devolving into a farcical and hateful ridicule of the faith that St. Patrick preached.
It's time to cancel the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Al Smith Dinner and all the other "Catholic" traditions that have been hijacked by the world. Better for Catholics to enter their churches and get down on their knees on St. Patrick's Day to pray in reparation for the foolishness, and to pray for this confused world to return to its senses. Let's do adoration and pray the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet unceasingly for this poor old world.
But don't go to the parade; stay away from the Al Smith Dinner and all that "old school" stuff that hangs on in a darkened world. And as for St Patrick's Day, it's time to stop wearin' the green and instead take up the purple of Lent and mean it. Enough of the celebration of stupidity, frivolity, and drunkenness that St Paddy's day has become. We need penance now, not foolishness. We don't need parades and dinner with people who scoff at our teachings, insist we compromise, use us for publicity, and make money off of us. We're being played for (and are?) fools.
End the St Patrick's parade. End the Al Smith Dinner and all other such compromised events. Enough now, back to Church! Wear the purple of Lent and if there is going to be a procession, let it be Eucharistic and penitential for the sins of this age.
For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!
How say you?
A spokesperson for the Archdiocese confirmed the post was removed, but declined to comment.