An article in the August 6 edition of the Providence Journal quoted Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy as saying the following about the Vatican’s recent statement on homosexual marriages: “I see the policy of opposing same-sex marriages or unions, whatever you call it, as bigotry or discrimination.”
We did not hesitate issuing a strong reply. Here is a copy of what we said to the media:
“It is one thing to disagree with the Vatican’s latest statement on marriage, quite another to brand it bigoted. Patrick Kennedy has some explaining to do.
“To begin with, the Catholic Church does not have a ‘policy’ on marriage—it has a teaching that is rooted in Scripture; it has policies on things like keeping soup kitchens clean. Two, why did it take him so long to label the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage ‘bigoted’? After all, it has maintained the same teaching for 2,000 years. Three, why has he not slammed all world religions—in both Eastern and Western civilizations—as being ‘bigoted’? After all, none bless the idea that two men should be allowed to marry.
“Four, why has he not come clean and told us exactly how ‘tolerant’ he is about qualifications for marriage? To be specific, does he find it ‘bigoted’ to oppose incestuous marriages? How about polygamy? Or the idea that three men can marry? Five, why would he want to maintain membership in an organization that is ‘bigoted’? Does it not make him a bigot for supporting a ‘bigoted’ organization on Sundays?
“Patrick Kennedy’s brutal honesty stands in stark contrast to the Kennedy clan’s predilection for spinning the truth. For this he should be applauded. Now the cat’s out of the bag: Patrick Kennedy thinks the Vatican’s pro-marriage statement is ‘bigoted’; thus does he align himself with those who think the institution of marriage is nothing more than an alternative lifestyle.”
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts was also quick to distance himself from the Vatican. But for sheer ignorance, no one beat Congressman Patrick Kennedy, son of Senator Edward Kennedy.
