CHICAGO — Chicago Catholic Archbishop Cardinal Francis George on Friday issued an apology to the LGBT community for remarks he made last month when compared the LGBT rights movement to the Ku Klux Klan.
In an interview broadcast on FOX television station WFLD-TV in ChicagoIn on Christmas day, George addressed what he perceived to be religious discrimination in the name of gay rights, and during a discussion of Chicago’s annual LGBT pride parade, cited the anti-Catholicism of the KKK in the early 1940s.
Francis George
But under growing pressure from gay rights advocates, calls for his resignation, and continued threasts of protests by LGBT activits, George caved on Friday, issuing this apology:
“I am truly sorry for the hurt my remarks have caused,” George said in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. “Particularly because we all have friends or family members who are gay and lesbian. This has evidently wounded a good number of people. I have family members myself who are gay and lesbian, so it’s part of our lives. So I’m sorry for the hurt.”
“When I was talking, I was speaking out of fear that I have for the church’s liberty and I was reaching for an analogy which was very inappropriate, for which I’m sorry,” George said.
“I didn’t realize the impact of what I was saying. … Sometimes fear is a bad motivation.”
George’s remarks first came during a dispute over the scheduled starting time of Chicago’s annual gay pride parade in June. The event was originally set to begin at 10 a.m., but a priest complained that the starting time would interfere with morning services.
In the interview with WFLD-TV, George said, “You know, you don’t want the Gay Liberation Movement to morph into something like the Ku Klux Klan, demonstrating in the streets against Catholicism.”
The remarks set off a firestorm or criticism among LGBT activists and advocacy groups — the Human Rights Campaign called it a “horrific comparison,” and “dangerous and divisive rhetoric.”
On January 1, Truth Wins Out (TWO), a non-profit advocacy group that fights anti-LGBT religious extremism — rebuked the Cardinal with a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune, and called for his resignation.
In a statement Friday, TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen said, “It is gratifying to see the Cardinal take personal responsibility for the hurt he has caused and we hope this incident leads to improving relations with the LGBT community.”
“We called for Cardinal George’s resignation but we think remorse is a positive step in the right direction,” Besen said.
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Fuck his apology. He can EADD.
yea, he’d better. that’s disgustin.
to bad you don’t mean it Archbishop. Apologizing because you’re told to doesn’t mean a damn thing.
He’s not forgiven. He still holds that view, he just apologized because he was facing so much static in the media..
when are these moronic bigots going to think before they speak????
I want his wife!! oh I mean breader!!
Too little too LATE!! I will be there the day of the parade…hope he is!!
Sorry doesn’t cut it
Well, he knew we weren’t the Nazi’s, the Vatican knows the Nazi’s with great intimacy.
If he truly is sorry for what he said, then I forgive him. How can we all work together if we hold a grudge?
it’s about time..to bad it was forced out of you it should never have been said.. jerk..people in glass houses should through stones..!!
How long did this take to happen…
fuck the catholic church
it does not matter we know how the church already feels about the LGBT community
You know what..who give a fuck.. too little too late..
I<3 #gaymarriage<3<3
Sometimes sorry isn’t enough. He needs to learn from this. All the bigots need to learn.
No matter if he says he sorry, he step over the line saying that our community like kkk or evening comparing us to them. He must not have any real true acknowledgement of our community
Christopher Cooke took the words outta my mouth!
that’s so fucking not true about KKK and LGBT, he is liar! -.-
if only an apology could fix everything the catholic church has done
i compare them to the mob
think before letting the mouth open and words come out that can never be taken back would be a start
I think everyone seems to forget this is the Catholic Church. These are the same people who are hiding and covering up child rape and molestation. I will forever take things these people say with a grain of salt.
I read this story on theblaze (just so I know how the right-wingers are thinking) And the bigotry that the members were sharing was disgusting. They applauded him and went into depth on how they thought the so called gay agenda is exactly like the KKK. These people connect dots worse than Michael J. Fox (sorry for the bad joke)
Too little too late
Cardinal Francis George, can you read my mind ?!
Exactly my thoughts. Too little, too late.
Apology not enough. Half-assed apology (what this really is) is REALLY not enough!
Is this his second or third time he has said this and then apologized?
apology not accepted
good :)
The only reason he said he was sorry is because the pope is making him a cardinal. Umm i wonder how many pedophiles the pope promoted to cardinal. Knowing they molested kids. So your half baked apology is not accepted!!!
Have a kiss to your hand (left hand)
2.-Say the name of your love.
3.-Close your hand
4.-Say the name of a weekday
5.-Say your name.
6.-Open your hand
8.-Paste this in 15 comments and the day you said (step # 4) will tell you she/he likes you and you will be asked to be engaged. If you do not go wrong going on 3 years in LOVE
lol and what is he
first step in the right direction
That’s exactly what it is. He was threatened and asked for his resignation so he apologized to save his own ass… Apology not accepted. First the churches can throw out “If we let gay’s marry we should let people marry their dogs.” Now comparisons to the KKK… Sorry, an apology isn’t going to do beans until I actually SEE some GENUINE compassion, and this apology is not it.
WOW are all “god’s” religious representatives Douche bags ?
or just the ones I read about?
A central problem of catholicism is that in a democracy fearless thinking is encouraged. People are free to question the narratives that underly religion. However much they desire to believe that God sent a son to earth to redeem the fallen, that he rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, they resist the story because it lacks historical proof. The catholic church faces this problem in spades, for it has added the idea of a pope chosen by God as his vicar on earth to speak infallibly. Despite some of God’s deplorable papal choices, to say nothing of the church’s identification with corrupt/viscious governments, it’s obvious that ordinary people find it hard to accept what any pope however learned and “holy” may teach. Cardinal George is only the latest in this disgusting church’s power moves against the people. This church should be brought down to size.
Oh please…. how many religion holidays did the pope have compared to one Proud Gay Day in calendar year. We have to put up with parking issues with holidays. Pope fail to see human is human, no one is above other human’s rights. Pope need to be respect all other religions and non-religions. Pope made a biggest asshole over one minor issue then sorry about that. Not very well acceptable. Pope need to keep himself inside the church’s walls.