James C. Hormel, heir to the Hormel meat-packing fortune, will not be the next U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg. The Senate’s Republican leadership saw to that in October when they let Hormel’s nomination die.
The Catholic League did not object to Hormel’s nomination because he is a homosexual, but we did object on grounds that he previously offered tacit approval of an anti-Catholic group, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. It was during the 1996 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Parade that Hormel laughed approvingly at the “Sisters” float while doing commentary on KOFY-TV.
What convinced the Catholic League that Hormel should not be confirmed was his failure to repudiate his behavior. He was given the chance to do so by Senator Tim Hutchinson when his nomination was first considered, but Hormel stuck to his guns and refused to denounce the antics of the anti-Catholic group. It is only just that Hormel will not be an ambassador to a nation that is 97 percent Catholic.
